


What We Owe Each Other

by Ihavepowers



Category: Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Bodyguard Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Swearing, Monster World, Mostly Gen, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26520022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ihavepowers/pseuds/Ihavepowers
Summary: Without warning, Miranda Vanderbilt is exiled from her family. For half a year, the young princess must prove herself as worthy of the Vanderbilt name. However, being stripped of her servants and her power proves too much for the mermaid to handle on her own.It's only when she makes a deal with Brian Yu that things start to turn around. If he can help her survive the next six months, she will give him whatever he wants upon regaining her birthright as princess of the Merkingdom.Anything else that comes out of this new partnership is purely coincidental.
Relationships: Green | Brian/ Miranda Vanderbilt
Comments: 76
Kudos: 49





	1. Punishment

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Monster Prom is owned by Beautiful Glitch and published by Those Awesome Guys. I take no credit for any characters or settings used in this story.

“How could you do this to me!?”

“Miranda, We—”

“No!” The princess of the Merkingdom stomped her foot in defiance. “We’re supposed to be family! Family doesn’t betray each other like this.”

“Miri! _Chill out.”_ Bellanda warned through gritted teeth.

The mermaid bit her lip, holding back the tears she knew her family were sick of her using. She stared up at the five monarchs sitting on their glistening thrones above her. King Vanderbilt, and to his right, the Queen, stared down at her with cold, aloof eyes. To the queen’s right was Amanda, and Bellanda beside her. The two princesses looked down at their sister with pity, clearly wishing to say something to ease the tension, but not knowing what to say.

On the King’s left side, Laudanda Vanderbilt raised her chin, giving the young mermaid a disapproving glare.

After a moment, King Vanderbilt rose from his throne.

“You heard me well, girl. You will follow my orders and obey. Understood?”

_No. I don’t understand. I’ll never understand you just like you will never understand me._

“Yes daddy—”

“ _Yes, your highness.”_ Corrected the queen with a pointed finger.

“Y-Yes… your highness.” Miranda squeaked out.

The king waved his hand, signaling her to be dismissed. Before the royal guard could escort her out, the young damsel turned on her heels and ran out of the throne room, out of the castle, and out of the Merkingdom; just as the king decreed.

-

_The Merkingdom King and Queen have no less than 5 daughters. The 5 jewels of the Vanderbilt Crown._

_The first daughter is Laudanda Vanderbilt, heiress to the throne. The Master Diplomat of the Merkingdom court. She commands with wisdom._

_The second daughter is Amanda Vanderbilt, of the modest beauty. The High Priestess of the Merkingdom’s main religion. She commands with love._

_The third daughter is Bellanda Vanderbilt, of the merciless fist. The Chief Commander of the Merkingdom’s armies. She commands with fear._

_The Crown of the Vanderbilt family is sculpted to perfection, each gem shines with flawless beauty, reminding the kingdom of the unyielding authority it possesses._

_If only it has the means to shine light onto the entire realm; instead of on itself._

_-_

_Three Days Later…_

_-_

“Miranda, can you pass me the salt?”

“Sure thing!”

“…”

“…”

“Erm… Polly?”

“Yeah?”

“Which one’s the salt?”

“Never mind Boo… I’ll get it.” Polly said as she reached her body over the mermaid’s counter space, grabbing the salt container.

Miranda patted down her ugly little cooking apron and sighed. If she would have known Cooking 101 would be such a difficult class, she never would have had her serfs take this class for her.

Ah, but that’s right. They weren’t taking this class for her anymore.

Miranda shifted her eyes to the rest of her classmates. Their meatloaves (made with meat from questionable sources) released steam and scrumptious aromas as they cooked on the stove tops throughout the classroom.

Miranda’s, however, was as cold as a chunk of ice.

Whatever animal this used to be, Miranda could swear she could still hear it whining.

“Polly, my meals have never looked this gross before!” Whined the princess, “What could I possibly be doing wrong!?”

Polly glanced over at the girl’s meal as she reached into her purse and sprinkled cocaine on her own piece of meatloaf.

“Well, you could probably start by turning your heat on.”

“O-Oh! Of course!” Miranda squealed with embarrassment. She flicked the dials of the oven to the right, not really knowing what they did but figuring ONE of them had to be the heat.

“Gosh… this is so much work! I dare say I’ve never done so much labor in my life!”

“Yeah boo! Probably because it’s usually your Dolphin servant who takes this class for you, but what do I know?”

Miranda’s face immediately dropped. “Right… too bad Mr. Flubbers doesn’t work for me anymore.” She said with a solemn sigh. She tugged at her poor-people’s apron, clearly thinking over negative thoughts.

“Why? Did he die or something?” Polly leaned her elbow on the counter so she could rest her head against her chin. Normally, the heat of the stovetop would be too hot for anyone to rest their arms on, but since Polly didn’t have any skin, she was fine.

“Well no… b-but… well…”

“What? Spit it out girl.”

“It’s complicated! Okay?” Yelled the princess. “He doesn’t work for me anymore…”

“Hmmm… you know, now that I think about it, I haven’t seen you with ANY of your serfs the last few days.”

Miranda froze. A million thoughts and excuses ran through her head, but no words came out.

_KA-BOOM._

Before Miranda could speak, her stove exploded in a blast of fire and meat. Monsters all around her ducked their heads to avoid pieces of burning beef flying across the room. As Miranda shrieked at the intense flames in front of her, their teacher, a centaur, rushed over with a fire extinguisher in hand.

“Haha… that was cool. Er- I mean hot.” Polly giggled to herself.

“O-Oh dear! I’m so sorry, please don’t be mad, Professor Centaur! I really don’t need to be punished anymore this week!” Cried out the princess. She even through in her best puppy-dog eyes in order to increase her persuasion.

The teacher stoked out the flames after a minute or so before turning his attention to Miranda. “This old thing? Don’t worry Ms. Vanderbilt, this school gets set on fire practically every day, you’re not gonna get in trouble for this.”

“Oh! Thank goodness!” Miranda said with a sigh of relief.

“Ah, by the way, do you have your homework from last night? You didn’t turn it into my desk when class started.”

Miranda deadpanned. “O-Oh… right… you see… I didn’t do it—”

“DETENTION!”

“W-What!?”

“Ms. Vanderbilt! We take education very seriously at Spooky High. As punishment, you can go to detention after school and finish your assignment there!”

“B-But Mr. Teacher! I only forgot because my serf didn’t remind me to—”

“No excuses.”

Before Miranda could say anymore, the teacher handed her a detention slip and galloped away, leaving Miranda to wallow in her own self-misery and burnt meatloaf.

-

Miranda had never had detention before.

Actually, most monsters at Spooky High have never gotten detention before.

For being such a prestige High School, there weren’t many rules that were enforced. Students could do anything from arson to murder and get away with it with just a slap on the wrist. Miranda unfortunately didn’t get the memo that missing homework assignments were apparently what broke the straw for earning detention’s in this school.

While all of the other students left campus at the end of the day, Miranda sat, alone, in the detention hall, while the teacher on duty snored quite loudly at the front desk.

The Culinary 101 homework assignment from last night sat on Miranda’s desk. It was still completely blank, save for her signature in the top left corner written in a sparkly pink pen color.

_Question 1: List at least three ingredients for the sauce made with a meatloaf._

“This is cockamamie.” Miranda groaned to herself. “How on earth am I supposed to recall one ingredient? Let alone three!?”

At the rate she was going, Miranda would never be able to finish this assignment. Not to mention, the teacher’s obnoxious snoring was quite disruptive to the mermaid’s thought process.

Miranda was about to tear the paper into tiny little shreds before she heard the door open as someone entered the room.

Brian Yu stepped into the detention room, eyes closed as he bobbed his head to the music in his headphones.

Miranda eyed the zombie curiously as he sat down at the table next to her, kicking his feet up on the desk and mumbling the song he was listening to under his breath.

There wasn’t much that Miranda could be bothered to remember about Brian, but if there was one thing she knew, it’s that he was rude. I mean, seriously, not once has he ever bowed down in respect when she walked past him in the hallways. How rude!

Even then, Miranda needed help, and she wasn’t about to ask the snorer in the front of the room.

“Um, excuse me?” Miranda asked sweetly.

No response.

“Brian?”

Nothing.

It was only when Miranda tapped his shoulder that the zombie’s eyes snapped open and he looked at the girl with a somewhat-surprised look.

“Oh. How long have you been sitting there?” He asked as he pulled off his headphones.

“Since before you got here mister!” Miranda said, puffing out her cheeks with annoyance.

“Oh, okay.”

Miranda sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Anyway, I need you’re help, if you would be so kind. I’ve been working on this impossible scripture for HOURS. I need your assistance, if you would be so kind?”

“Yeah whatever. I’ll take a look.” Brian replied as he took the paper off her desk.

A few moments passed of Brian casually looking at the paper while Miranda sighed a breath of relief, finally being free of her duties.

“So anyway,” Brian said after a minute, “What did a monster like yourself do to get stuck in detention?”

“You’re looking at it.” Groaned the princess. “I forgot to turn in that assignment and got detention for it! I’m being punished so cruelly!”

“That’s tough.” Replied the aloof zombie.

“Indeed.” Confirmed the mermaid.

Another minute of silence passed.

“If I may ask.” Began Miranda, “What did you do to get detention?”

“Oh, I didn’t do anything. Sometimes I come in here when I don’t want to deal with other people.”

“O-Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t know I was intruding on your little hideout!”

“Don’t sweat it.”

Miranda gave the zombie a queer look. His eyes remained focused on the paper, but she couldn’t tell if he was actually thinking about the questions. In fact, she couldn’t tell if he was thinking anything at all. Miranda had heard plenty of rumors about this zombie and how easily he lost himself on cloud nine.

“By the way, where are your servant dudes? People usually get harpooned when they sit this close to you.”

Miranda winced, and felt her body shake at the question.

“Well… you see… they were taken away from me.”

For the first time, Brian took his gaze off of the paper to look at Miranda with dark, steely eyes. The stare made Miranda shiver from the seriousness.

“What do you mean?”

“My father decided I need to spend time without them.” Sighed the defeated princess. “He declared that I’ve grown too attached, whatever that means! He basically left me out to die by myself. He took everything from me and won’t let me come back home until I’ve ‘proven myself’. Gosh, daddy is so cruel!”

Brian nodded as Miranda went on to explain her situation. For the next six months, Miranda would have to learn how to survive on her own. For too many years she has abused the powers she has been given by her royal status, so the Vanderbilt family decided they couldn’t have her continue being a member of the family if she couldn’t lead the kingdom with the same authority they did.

“I find it impossible to believe I can meet their demands in just six months. It’s practically impossible for any monster to do! Especially by themselves.”

“Then don’t do it by yourself.”

“What?”

Brian kept a straight face as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ll help you out. I won’t just things for you like your servants did, but I know a thing or two about looking out for yourself. I can give you a few pointers. I’ve been looking for something new to do recently anyway, so what do you say?”

Miranda had to sit for a moment as she processed the proposal. It was absurd really, taking help from someone who was practically a stranger. However, Brian seemed genuine enough, and Miranda would be a fool to believe she could pull this off on her own. It’s not like Brian would be her new serf, he would just be her… assistant. An assistant to life.

“Sounds delightful! Oh Brian, you are my hero—”

“On one condition.”

“Huh?”

Brian folded his arms over his chest. “You don’t think I am going to do this for _free_ , do you? I would need some sort of payment for all the help I’m giving you.

Miranda, repeating the zombie’s posture, folded her frail arms over her figure as she prepared to negotiate terms.

“Ah… I see. Well, I suppose after all of this I won’t be needing my serfs as much as I used too. I suppose we could arrange a little black-market slavery trade, eh? I could lend you a couple serfs to be your personal servant’s for a while?”

“Nah, I don’t need all that. For the meanwhile, let me think of something you can pay me for and I’ll let you know when I decide.”

“Deal!” Miranda grinned, offering her hand to shake on their deal.

Brian smirked and shook her hand. His hands were large, and rough, but they also felt cold against Miranda’s skin.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, signaling that an hour had passed, and that detention was over. As the two got up from their desks, Brian turned towards Miranda and spoke.

“We’ll start tomorrow. That sound good?”

“Sounds perfect, Mr. Yu!”  
  


Right as Brian turned to walk out, he stopped. He took the homework and handed it to the princess.

“Oh yeah, here’s this.”

Miranda took the paper and eyed it carefully. Each question was answered fully. Brian even made his penmanship look somewhat similar to her own. Maybe Brian wasn’t as rude as she initially thought.

Miranda smiled to herself before sliding the paper into her bag.

Perhaps this little arrangement would work out after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between this story and my other Monster Prom fic, I think it’s pretty safe to say I have a thing for the unpopular pairings in this fandom. 
> 
> Because of this, I appreciate you taking the time to read this story! Thank you.


	2. How to Fight

_Ten Years Ago_

_-_

_“Bella… I’m tired… I don’t want to do this anymore.”_

_“When you’re on the battlefield, you don’t get to decide when you don’t want to fight anymore. Now fight me, little sister.”_

_Miranda Vanderbilt, the 9-year old princess with pink hair tied into a loose ponytail, groaned as she got back up to her feet. She clutched her training-spear in her tiny hands and got into a fighting stance as Bellanda charged her once again._

_Quick as a flash, Bellanda swung her axe in a horizontal swipe. Miranda just narrowly ducked under the attack. The “blade” of the axe was just made of rounded wood, but it would still leave a bruise if she landed a direct hit._

_Miranda jabbed her spear at Bellanda’s feet, forcing her to hop backwards. This gave Miranda a chance to strike while the older princess was off her balance._

_With the swiftness of a marlin, Miranda Vanderbilt smacked downward on her spear using her open hand, pushing the tip directly up towards Bellanda’s face. However, right as she thrusted forward, the butt of the spear got caught against her own ankle, tripping her over herself._

_“Eeek!” Miranda squealed as she knocked herself onto her knees._

_As the scratches on her knees and palms reopened themselves from the impact of the fall, the young princess immediately bursted into a fit of tears. In a fit of rage, she threw her spear to the side. The sound of the weapon clattering against the ground rang out across the coliseum grounds._

_“I can’t do this anymore Bella!” Cried the girl. “I’m sore, I’m tired, and I hate fighting.”_

_“But you’re good at it Miri!” Retorted Bellanda as she sheathed her axe behind her back. “I’m not doing this to torture you. I’m doing this because you need to know how to fight in case it comes to that—”_

_“Daddy never fights! Why do I have to fight if HE doesn’t!?”_

_Bellanda sighed, taking a knee and putting a hand on the whimpering girl’s shoulder._

_“You're right. Father usually doesn’t fight. But that’s because he does something much more powerful than fighting.”_

_Miranda raised an eyebrow at her sister._

_“Father knows how to fight. But even more than that, he knows how to AVOID a fight. If an enemy approached him, weapon drawn, he could talk them down from their rage in minutes. That’s what makes him such a great leader.”_

_“T-Then why aren’t you teaching me how to avoid a fight?”_

_Bellanda’s eyes drifted away for a moment; deep in thought. She and Miranda were still just children, far too young to ever be put in an actual situation like this, but still…_

_“One day, you might come across someone who won't listen to your words. No matter how hard you try to ease them, all they want to do is kill you. Choose your battles wisely, Miri. There are some conflicts that won’t end with both parties walking out alive.”_

_Miranda sniffled back her tears. “I… I don’t want to fight anyone. I just want them to be executed.”_

_Bellanda’s face darkened. “I know, Miri. Trust me, I know. But soon you have to realize you can’t make all your problems go away just by snapping you’re fingers.”_

_Bellanda rubbed the top of her sister's head affectionately before standing and offering a hand. “You’ve made improvements. I’m really proud of you, sis. Let’s call it a day, yeah? We need to clean up before dinner.”_

_-_

_Present Day_

_-_

On most days during his walk to school, Brian tended to have near death experiences.

Now, being a zombie and all, he never particularly worried about being killed, because he is already dead. Still, having to put your limbs back together after they've been forcibly removed is exhausting work.

That’s why he always keeps an eye out on his way to school.

There was one day before school where he nearly got his head taken off from a flaming cannonball Damien was firing in the front yard. Another time, he barely avoided getting his soul ripped out from a reaper that the Coven were battling one morning. And Brian could never forget about the time Scott accidentally swiped past a picture of a full moon on his phone, making him transform into his wolf form. It only lasted for five minutes, but those were still five agonizing minutes of Brian being chased by the beast around the school parking lot.

So yes, Brian was very justified in his hatred for coming to school every day.

Even then, it wasn’t all that bad. On this day in particular, Brian shared a pleasant walk with Oz as the two shared donut’s they got at a local bakery.

“So if I’m hearing you correctly…” Oz said before taking a bite from his chocolate sprinkled donut, “Miranda managed to talk you into being her slave?”

“No man. Not slave.” Replied Brian. “I’m just taking her under my wing for a little bit.”

“Ah, I see. But do you think she’ll hold up her end of the bargain once the six months are up? What if she goes back on her word and doesn’t repay you.”

“I trust her. She’s not a bad person Oz. She’s just a little narcissistic. But deep down, aren’t we all?”

Oz shrugged his shoulders as he reached out to open the front doors to the school. “Perhaps.”

_CRASH._

Suddenly, an anvil crashed down at the spot right between the two boys, making Oz scream for dear life and even making Brian jump back a little. Both of their donuts were dropped too, falling to the ground tragically before they could be fully savored.

“W-What the heck!” Oz stammered. A phobia sprouted to give his neck a quick rub to ease the tension.

“S-Shit I don’t know.” Brian stuttered out. His eyes caught a small slip of paper attached to the anvil. The zombie slowly reached down and plucked the paper off of the tape that attached it to the large piece of iron.

_“Look Up.”_ Read the note.

Upon following said instructions, Brian was surprised to see Miranda waving down at him from the school’s rooftop.

“Psssst! Brian! It’s me! Miranda!” Said the princess in a hushed yelling voice. “Act natural, but I am requesting your audience immediately! Normally I would have my serfs bring you to me, but well, I had to think outside the box for this one. But don’t let anyone know you’re coming up here! It’s a secret.”

Brian gave her an “inconspicuous” thumbs up to prove he understood.

“Guess I’m being summoned.” Brian stated as he turned to look at his friend. “Um, are you gonna be okay man?”

Said friend looked like he was about to pass out, but he put on a strong face and took a deep breath. “Yeah… I’m cool, I’m cool. But I think I need to go to the bathroom to have a panic attack in the stalls.”

Brian waved goodbye to Oz as he made a panic-induced dash towards the bathrooms. The zombie sighed as he headed up to the rooftops of the school.

-

Brian arrived to the rooftop to discover Miranda standing idly by herself.

“Oh thank heavens you got my message!” Miranda cheered as she threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re here! We must talk immediately.”

Brian would have felt embarrassed from the sudden physical contact of a princess if not for his increasing confusion at the current situation. He gave her a quick, awkward hug in return before pulling away.

“Why did you drop an anvil on me? That could have killed someone you know.”

“Well, I don’t have your number, so it was my only option! I had to come up with SOME way to get your attention.”

“Okay. And where exactly did you get an anvil from?”

Miranda smirked as her eyes sparkled devilishly, “Ah yes. You know Luther? The golem with an anvil for a head?”

“Uhh... are you implying that you—”

“His family owns an anvil-making business. I had a coupon for a free anvil.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“But that doesn’t matter now!” Exclaimed the princess. She reached out to grabbed Brian’s shoulder and pulled him down to her level. She looked over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being watched, then cupped a hand over her mouth to whisper something.

“I have reasons to believe an assassin is after me. I need your protection as my bodyguard.”

Brian gave Miranda a quizzical look. “You think someone is trying to kill you?”

“Uh-huh. Just look at this ransom note.”

Miranda reached into her purse and handed Brian a slip of paper.

It was a flier inviting students to join the school’s trap-shooting club.

“Uhh… Miranda, this is just an advertisement for the trap team.”

“Exactly! I found this on my locker. Someone is trying to threaten me by telling me I will be shot down on the shooting range!”

“I think you’re reading this wrong.”

“Nonsense Brian.” Miranda quickly reached her hand out to squeeze Brian’s hand. “I need your services to protect me at all costs! This isn’t a matter of me learning how to be independent anymore. How am I supposed to get better if I die!? And you won’t get your reward if I am slain!”

The sudden touch left Brian quite bewildered. Physical contact was never something he was used to, yet here with Miranda it seemed physical intimacy was a norm for her. Brian couldn’t even remember the last time he was hugged aside from just then.

After a second of awkward silence, Brian sighed, “Yeah. S-Sure. I can look after you for the day.”

As if those words flipped a switch, Miranda’s face immediately lit up. “Perfect. Then you’re skipping all your classes today to escort me? You’re terrific, Mr. Yu!”

Brian didn’t have time to respond before the young mermaid dragged his arm downstairs towards her first period class.

-

Brian quickly came to realize being Miranda’s “bodyguard” wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Brian normally didn’t pay much attention in his classes anyway, so he doubted skipping them would come back to bite him much.

There were several occasions where Miranda would try to swindle Brian into doing work for her. Whether taking over an assignment or answering questions when it was she who was called on, Brian had to resist Miranda’s requests for assistance several times. Instead of doing the work for her, Brian would just lend her a guiding hand. He would rephrase questions for her, give her subtle clues, and overall be a guiding force towards the answer. Miranda never got answers correct without Brian taking over completely, but progress was progress.

Midday came by quickly, and the two found an open lunch table. Brian quickly set down his tray as Miranda slowly approached the table, clutching her stomach.

“You good?” Brian asked as he pulled out Miranda’s chair for her. “You look kind of sick.”

“I’m unsure.” Replied the princess as she weakly sat down. “My stomach aches terribly. And I keep hearing a bear or something growling at me."

Brian chuckled gently. “I think that means you’re hungry, bud.”

“Ah… I suppose it has been a while sense I’ve eaten.”

“Why didn’t you grab any food then? The meal is actually pretty good today.”

“Yuck! I could never.” Miranda stated as she stuck out her tongue in disgust. “I only consume drinks and smoothies prepared by the royal kitchen. I can’t eat commoner’s food. It would destroy my stomach!”

“Well you won't be getting royal food for the next six months. At this point, the only thing that would destroy your stomach is not having anything in it at all.” He said before taking a bowl off of his tray and sliding it over to the girl.

“What is this?” She asked as she stuck her nose up at the orangish-red liquid in said bowl.

“Tomato soup. You should try it.” He replied as he handed her his spoon.

Miranda prepared to reject, but another wave of nausea from her growling stomach gave her second thoughts.

“Fine.” She groaned as she took the spoon. “I’ll indulge in your offerings, if only to prove to you that I don’t need your _peasantry_ meals.”

She dipped her spoon into the broth and lifted it to her small lips. Brian watched her carefully as she swallowed the soup down her throat. Miranda’s face squinted as she gulped down the liquid.

“Well. Tell me what you think.”

“I-It was hot. Very hot.” Miranda sighed out. She glanced at the tomato soup briefly before turning to look at Brian. “But it was actually kind of tasty. U-Umm… may I—”

“It’s all yours.” Brian stated.  
  


As he munched down on his sandwich, he kept a careful eye on the girl as she continued to take tiny sips of the soup.

-

It was only after a full day of being Miranda’s “bodyguard” that Brian fully understood the situation she was in.

Brian wasn’t normally one to reflect, but there was something naturally curious about the (ex) princess of the Merkingdom that got him thinking.

To put it bluntly, she was a spoiled brat.

He couldn’t necessarily blame her for it though. After all, he would be used to constant coddling too if he grew up getting everything he wanted. He actually felt a little bad for her. In the span of a day, she went from having everything she could ever want to having only him, a quiet zombie to help her get through the struggles of each and every day.

If Brian were to be honest, he wasn’t actually sure if he could make Miranda independent when the six months were up. And even if she did gain autonomy, who was to say she wouldn’t just relapse and go back to relying on her serfs? Most monsters would never take a chance on Miranda the way Brian has.

He was either insanely stupid, insanely bored, or just insane.

After having this epiphany about Miranda, Brian began to have some realizations about himself too. Mainly about his viewpoint on life that he developed over the past twenty-two years of life.

Brian was a selfish person too.

He was selfish in the sense that, at the end of the day, he had HIS back and HIS back only. Yes, he had friends, and he appreciated them. Amira, Vicky, Oz, and many more monsters at Spooky High held special places in his heart. But Brian could only let himself care so much before he told himself not to get too invested in others. He wasn’t really sure what made him have this negative outlook on life; Brian just knew that at the end of the day, he had to look out for himself, because nobody else is going to look out for him.

_"If that’s the case. Then why are you looking out for Miranda?"_ A voice would ask in the back of his head.

“Brian!”

_"Why are you doing all of this for her?"_

“Brian!”

_"You don’t actually think she appreciates you? Do you?"_

“BRIAN!” Screamed the princess.

Brian snapped out of his daze just in time to see Miranda hiding behind his back as Leonard the Kappa approached them with a plastic lightsaber.

“W-Wha—” Began the zombie.

“I told you I had an assassin targeting me!” Cried the fearful damsel. “He’s the one who put a target on my back!”

“It was you?” Brian asked the small, aggressive kappa.

“Of course it was me you simp!” Croaked the kappa. “Didn’t you read the back of the note?”

Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out the trap-team ad. Flipping it over revealed a secret message made out of newspaper clippings.

_Miranda Vanderbilt. Prepare for your last day on earth. Now that you no longer have serfs to protect you, I, the heroic Leonard, shall free this school from your tyranny so all of the peasant ladies will be free to worship me._

Brian gave Leonard a strange look. “And you think you're going to accomplish this with a toy lightsaber you bought from Walmart?”

“You fool!” Warned Leonard. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ve watched enough sci-fi movies to know I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it!”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Hey Miranda can we chat for a second.” Brian asked as he hooked his arm around hers and “escorted” her away from the assassin.

“HEY! DON’T IGNORE ME!”

Brian led Miranda around the hallway and looked down at her curiously. “You okay?”

“Y-Yes. I’m alright.” Replied the mermaid. She was still clearly shaken up, but otherwise looked fine.

Brian nodded his head, glad to hear that she wasn’t too shaken up.

“Good. So… listen. I’ll kick his ass if you want me to, but I don’t particularly want to beat up a tiny nerd in the middle of a school hallway. That’s an overused trope. I think you should talk to him. You should get him to realize killing you won’t do any good.

“M-Me!? I couldn’t!” Exclaimed the princess.

“Miranda, I could beat him up every day, and that still won’t be enough to make him stop targeting you. The only way to make assholes like him, and anyone else, stop harassing you is to tell them outright to quit being an idiot. He would never listen to me… but he would listen to you.”

Miranda stared up at the zombie who towered over her. Deep down inside, she knew he was right. She knew people like him didn’t listen to reason until it was told to them as directly as possible.

-

_“One day, you might come across someone who won't listen to your words. No matter how hard you try to ease them, all they want to do is kill you. Choose your battles wisely, Miri. There are some conflicts that won’t end with both parties walking out alive.”_

_-_

Miranda took a deep breath then put a determined look on her face.

“I see what you mean. I’ll talk to him.”

Brian smiled as the princess turned and walked back down the hallway.

“Aha! So you have finally accepted your demise. Goodbye! Cruel princess—”

“PEASENT. I DEMAND YOU BE QUIET” Roared the tiny princess as she raised her palm out to silence Leonard.

She took a step closer to the kappa, her eyes emitting a steely blue glare.

“Listen well, Leonard. Killing me will do nothing for you. What exactly will you accomplish from slaying me? You will make no friends from it, you will earn no glory. All you will have is blood on your hands. Are you okay with that? Are you okay with living with death for the rest of your life?”

“Of course I am!” Cried out the kappa as he charged at the princess.

Brian prepared to step in before the kappa could smack Miranda with a $7 plastic sword, but the mermaid acted first.

In the blink of an eye, Miranda slapped her hand down on the sword, disarming Leonard and catching him off guard. The princess immediately grabbed the weapon out of midair while simultaneously sweeping her foot underneath Leonard to knock him off his balance. As he hit the ground, Miranda pointed the lightsaber at his forehead.

“I’ll ask you again.” Miranda stated coldly. “Are you okay with living with blood on your hands? Because I am. In fact, I have executed over hundreds of serfs, just as tiny and weak as you are. I could fill a pool with their blood and then drown you in it afterwards. Can you live with as much death as I do, Leonard?”

Leonard responded to the question by screaming, getting up, and sprinting away.

After collecting herself for a moment, Miranda turned around to face Brian.

“Umm… thank you for the pep talk.” Miranda said as she casually threw the lightsaber over her shoulder.

“That was hot.” Brian stated breathlessly.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

Miranda gave her bodyguard a quizzical look, but eventually erupted into a fit of giggles.

“Heheheh! Well, I don’t expect Leonard to be bothering me much anymore. Hey Brian, I just realized I still need to get your phone number. May I borrow you're phone for a moment?"

"U-Uhh, sure." Brian mumbled as he handed her his phone.

Miranda quickly entered her number before handing him his phone back.

"Perfect. Well then, Mr. Yu, I still need your support with becoming more independent, but I think I can relieve you of your bodyguard duties. I shall text you whenever I am in need of assistance again. Goodbye!"

Before Brian could process everything that just happened over the last two minutes, Miranda skipped away cheerfully.

He looked down at his phone, seeing that he had a new contact with the name: "Miranda <3".

Brian smiled to himself. Perhaps she was a spoiled brat. But that didn't mean she wasn't a badass either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My plan is to have chapter updates every Friday. I decided to post Chapter Two early however; just as a little bonus!
> 
> I appreciate all kudos and comments. Feedback is what keeps me going. Thank you for reading.


	3. Coffee Shop

_Five Years Ago_

_-_

_KNOCK. KNOCK._

_"You may enter."_

_The door creaked open, revealing a young Miranda Vanderbilt. She stood at the entrance timidly._

_“Amanda, there’s something I need to ask you.”_

_“Oh? What is it?”_

_”How do you know when you’re in love?”_

_The green-haired mermaid, who was currently reviewing scriptures for her upcoming service, looked at her sister with surprise._

_“Why do you ask, dear?”_

_Miranda leaned her body against the doorway and fiddled with her dress. “Well… I’ve been reading stories. Stories about princesses from faraway lands who meet handsome princes and they live happily ever after. When do you think I’ll meet my prince?”_

_Amanda laughed sweetly; her voice was that of an angel’s. She beckoned her sister to sit beside her on her bed._

_“Well, how are you so certain it’s a prince you’ll fall in love with?”_

_Miranda took a seat on the edge. “Oh. Well I guess a princess would be fine too. I just—”_

_“That’s not what I meant, Miranda.” Amanda smiled, taking her sister’s hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze._

_“Who’s to say you have to marry a prince or a princess? Why not someone... less like us?”_

_“Like a commoner!?” Miranda asked with disgust. “I couldn’t! They’re so dirty.”_

_Amanda frowned at her sister. “I understand your hesitance. But still, it is not nice to disregard the common folk so quickly. They are just as important to a kingdom as any king or queen.”  
_

_“But to marry one!? I’ll pass.” Miranda said, sticking out her tongue with disapproval._

_Amanda stared at Miranda. Even though her eyes were covered by her bangs, Miranda could still feel her sister’s eyes pouring into her own._

_“Miranda, let me tell you something. Love cannot be defined by royal status. Of all the marriages I have overseen, no two couples have been quite the same. When you meet him or her, you’ll know you’re in love when you don’t care how wealthy they are. You won’t care about their lineage. You’ll care about the way they make you feel.”_

_Miranda cocked her head, “Sister, I don’t understand.”_

_Amanda stared at her sister blankly but smirked after a moment._

_“Love isn’t something that HAS to be understood. There are no rules to it, nor are their guidelines you must follow. Love is whatever you decide it should be.”_

_“Right. Sure.” Miranda quickly stood up, deciding that maybe her sister wasn't the best source to answer her questions. “Anyway, I think I hear mother calling for me. Goodbye sister!”_

_Amanda watched the young girl walk away in a hurry. She smiled to herself. It was okay that her sister lacked knowledge about love. In truth, does anyone REALLY know what love is?_

_The second daughter of the Vanderbilt family went back to her readings; wondering when SHE would finally meet someone to marry._

_-_

_Present Day_

_-_

Miranda was never a fan of going to school.

The learning aspect was always irritating and classmates were anything from obsessive to despicable. The overall atmosphere of the building could best be described as… _stomach-churning._

However, now that she was living by herself, Miranda began to hate when she _wasn’t_ at school.

She hated to admit she missed company; she missed her family.

Before Miranda was disowned from the Vanderbilt’s, she was set up with a small, one-bedroom apartment in the downtown area of the city. Miranda thought it was cramped and appalling, but all things considered, it was rather generous of her father to rent out a half-year lease for his daughter.

Aside from that, she was on her own.

Miranda opened her fridge, seeing a small variety of yogurt and canned soups inside. Ever since Brian had her taste that delectable tomato soup at lunch, Miranda had actually developed a taste for most kinds of soup. She had yet to cook any of it by herself, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like looking at the containers in her fridge.

As Miranda looked at the unimpressive contents of her fridge, she decided she wasn’t all that hungry. She closed her fridge and took a look around her room. It was a large square living space. The entrance on the left said let directly into the kitchenette with a washer and dryer in it. The right wall had windows looking out into the bustling city street. The only furniture in the room was what was provided to her by the apartment complex. A fridge, washer, dryer, oven, and a bed.

“What a lovely home…” Miranda sighed to herself, walking over to her bed and sitting on it sadly.

When Miranda was younger, she could only dream of what would happen to her next. If she was in a hopeless situation like this, what would her younger self picture happening to her?

She would imagine she would get a knock on the door. It would be her father, falling to his knees and begging her to come back home and crying about how wrong he was.

Or, she could imagine that her loving serfs– who adored her and would never say anything bad about her– would come barging into the apartment and swear their loyalty to her. Miranda would start an uprising, raging war against her own family until they let her come back home.

Even better, Miranda would imagine a prince coming to her rescue. He would call out to her from the window. She would hop out, he would catch her in his arms, and he would whisk her away to a place with no more worries and sorrows.

_Grow up._ Miranda thought to herself.

Miranda had come around to realizing being sorry for herself wouldn’t get her anywhere; not anymore. She had to start taking action and doing something, anything, to get her through until she could finally face her family and prove she deserves to be a Vanderbilt.

As she looked around at her empty walls and her empty room, she suddenly got an idea.

-

Brian lifted a flashcard up to his nose. “What year did the Monsters Rights Act pass?”

Vicky bit the tip of her pencil in thought, “19xx?”

“Yup. This next one is the last question, what does the Monsters Rights Act state?”

“Easy. Monsters of legal age cannot be discriminated against based on species. They hold the right to label themselves as either their specific Monster Type or generally define as ‘Monster’ on any and all legal documentation.”

Brian nodded proudly and handed the finished stack of flash cards to his friend. He had no doubt Vicky would ace her quiz tomorrow, regardless of if she studied, but he still felt proud of her when she crushed her studying, nonetheless.

“Welp, I’d say two hours of reviewing means you’ll do great tomorrow.”

Vicky flashed her friend a smile. Currently they were sitting at an outdoor table in the park. The cold weather was just starting to kick in. While the pair did have to wear their jackets to keep warm, it still was enjoyable to be outside with the cool breeze.

“Thanks for always helping me study.” Began the reanimated monster. “You know… I’d be more than happy to help you study for tests too…”

“Eh. I don’t need to study.” Brian replied bluntly. “I usually get B’s and C’s. As long as it’s a passing grade I’m good to go.”

“Well yeah. But you could get A’s if you studied, even a little. I know you’re smart enough to do it.”

“Why do you always nag me Vicky? I’m going to start calling you mom pretty soon.”

“I nag because I care.” Vicky said, giving her friend a wink.

Brian rolled his eyes. He knew she cared; she cared more about his grades than he did. As long as Brian passed his classes, he didn’t care about being an ace student. The idea of competing to be the model student of Spooky High like Vicky and Vera always did just seemed irrelevant to Brian. He always told himself school wasn’t THAT important, so why should he act like it is? He only does as much as he needs to do to pass his classes, nothing more.

“So, _mom_.” Sarcastically began the zombie. “Any more questions you need to nag me about? Might as well get them out now.”

“Yes actually! Are you and Miranda, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Brian nearly fell back in his seat. However, he was Brian, so he hid his shocked reaction well enough to compose himself and not look like a fool.

“W-Where did you get that idea!?”

“Well…” Vicky stared up to the clouds in thought. “You two have been hanging out a lot.”

“You and I hang out a lot.”

“I know that! But…” Vicky shrugged her shoulder’s. “I don’t know. But I think you two would be cute together!”

Brian scoffed. “I’m not so sure about that. She’s cute, I’ll give you that. But also, she’s probably gonna forget I exist once the six months are over.”

“Hmm. We’ll see I suppose.”

_BZZT. BZZT._

Brian perked up, hearing his phone go off. He pulled it out to see a text from the monster who seemed to be the topic of all of his conversations this past week.

_Dearest Brian. It is I, Miranda. I am requesting your presence at your earliest convenience. Please meet me at the coffee shop on 25 th Street._

“The princess has summoned me.” Brian sighed.

“Ooooh…” Vicky cooed with a wiggle of her eyebrow _._

“Shut up.”

-

It didn’t take Brian long to reach the coffee shop Miranda messaged him about. It was a locally owned café that specialized in serving coffee mixed with energy drinks so that just one cup would be enough to keep you up all night long. Brian wondered why Miranda chose this spot of all places, but he supposed he would find that soon.

His eyes immediately found the mermaid when he entered the shop. She was in the back corner, at a small booth away from other customers who were located more in the front. When she heard him walk in, her face lit up. She smiled pleasantly and waved him over.

“Sorry I’m a little late.” Brian mumbled as he sat down in the booth across from her.

“No worries.” Miranda stated plainly. Brian noticed she didn’t have any drinks or snacks in front of her. Brian couldn’t even recall Miranda being a coffee drinker; why was she here exactly?

“So uhm, what are doing hanging out here?” Brian asked as he took of his jacket.

Miranda nodded her head towards the ordering counter at the other end of the room. Specifically, her eyes were trained on one of the chalkboards hanging above the baristas. Brian followed her gaze, seeing a board that read “HELP WANTED” in giant bold writing.

Brian furrowed his brow. “I’m confused.”

Miranda frowned and nervously played with the buttons on her coat. Brian took a minute to concentrate on her appearance. He just now realized she didn’t have her signature crown on her head. He wondered if her family took it from her or if she took it off herself due to feeling like she didn’t deserve it. He also noticed her hair, which was normally brushed in perfectly straight locks, was a little more frazzled than usual.

“So… quick story.” Miranda sighed. “I came here in order to apply for a job. But when I walked in… I froze. I realized I had no idea how to ask… how to present myself… I had been sitting here for almost half an hour trying to work myself up to it. Then, I remembered you. So, I texted you.”

Brian rested his elbow on the table and listened intently. “Ah. You’re looking for a job.”

Miranda nodded. “Right. At least for the six months. I need _actual_ money if I wish to buy food. And I am in desperate need of some decorations in my apartment. Currently, it looks like a dungeon…”

Brian lifted a brow. “You bought your own place?”

“Ugh. No. My father did. He bought out some rental service and threw me into a cheap little apartment. He didn’t even think to supply me with furniture or the full amount of living space I require! Seriously, how inconsiderate can that man be!?”

“Yeah… so rude of him to pay for your living space even after he disowned you…”

“Exactly! But anyway, back to the present. Can you teach me how to get a job here?”

“Sure. Why not?” Brian shrugged his shoulders.

“Marvelous. You never disappoint!” Miranda smiled appreciatively and reached over the table to give her friend’s hand a squeeze in thanks.

The two sat there for a while longer. They eventually got around to ordering coffee (Brian had to pay for both of course, since Miranda lacked money). Time flew by as the two talked and sipped on their drinks. Miranda did most of the talking, sharing stories about the life she used to lead as a princess, but Brian spoke up a decent amount too. He talked briefly about his family, about his nerdier habits, and even about his dreams.

It didn’t take long for night to come, and the shop to close. The pair left the cozy coffee shop and stepped out into the cool breeze of the night.

“Since there’s no school tomorrow, are you free?” Miranda asked as they stepped outside.

Brian just nodded his head in response. As they stood in front of the café, the lights casting dim shadows on the pair, they stood silently in front of each other for a moment. Miranda stared up at the zombie, he could see her breath through the cold as she silently blew out air.

“So. Uhh…” Brian cleared his throat. “Which way are you headed?”

Miranda’s eyes widened, as if suddenly snapped out from a daze. “Oh! Umm… this way. I’m actually just a short walk away from here.” She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder.

“Okay. I’m uhm… going this way. My cars parked down that street” He pointed in the opposite direction.

“…”

“…”

Miranda giggled, mostly out of awkwardness.

“Well, goodbye Brian.”

“Yeah, see ya tomorrow.”

Miranda nodded her head and turned around, walking down the corner and way from view.

“What was that… why is it so hard to talk to that man sometimes—” Miranda whispered to herself as she hurriedly walked to her house. The cold air nipped a little harder now that it was dark out. Miranda tugged her sleeves as low as they could go as she practically jogged down the street.

“He’s just so strange and… and… relaxing.” Miranda sighed. “But why? He’s always been that way.”

-

_“Love isn’t something that HAS to be understood. There are no rules to it, nor are their guidelines you must follow. Love is whatever you decide it should be.”_

-

Miranda suddenly stopped in her tracks. The chilling air suddenly didn’t feel all that harsh.

The princess lifted a hand to her mouth, her mind suddenly went a mile a minute as she started to overthink thinks.

“Okay Miranda… MAYBE you think he’s charming but— surely HE doesn’t feel the same. So…”

She sighed to herself. She knew she was overreacting there. For a moment, she really did consider the possibly of BRIAN being her suitor.

“As if…” Miranda shook her head. Even then, she held a frown on her face. She wasn’t all that sure if she was convinced having feelings for Brian was a bad thing to do.

As her mind continued to be clouded by her thoughts. She almost walked past her apartment complex. She hurried inside to escape the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I'm not sure if anyone reading this story also read my other Monster Prom fic of Oz x Scott, but the plan is for this story to be longer than that one. While that one was 6 chapters (plus possible updates in the future?), I'm shooting for a little bit more with this one. 
> 
> Thanks for reading the notes, I appreciate it!


	4. What Are Your Strengths

_Three Years Ago_

_-_

_Laudanda Vanderbilt, eldest daughter of the Vanderbilt family; a rare sight to behold._

_Mostly because she never left the castle._

_While her presence in the kingdom was not always seen, it was always felt. Laudanda Vanderbilt, the aristocratic advisor of his royal highness, was present in all royal declarations that the kingdom has passed since her arrival on the council. Her influence over the kingdom grew stronger every day, making it rare for her to have the free time to leave her Judge’s chambers._

_On a rare day when Laudanda had a lack of royal decree’s and execution ceremonies, she would spend time taking her youngest sister, Miranda, under her wing for some much-needed guidance._

_As Laudanda walked through the shopping district, bodyguards by her side, Miranda followed her a few steps behind. The eldest princess had yet to say a word to her sister. She had yet to so much as give her a glance of acknowledgement either._

_“Interesting choice of scenery for our sister-sister evening…” Mumbled the pink haired mermaid._

_Laudanda continued to walk as if she didn’t hear a word. Miranda was beginning to wonder if her sister had gone deaf. The young princess looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Despite living in this kingdom all her life, she had only been outside the palace walls a handful of times. The shopping district, like the entire kingdom, was encased in a large dome deep down on the sea floor. Mermaids could breathe both on air and land, but the Merkingdom decided to keep their realm relatively dry._

_Suddenly, Laudanda stopped in the middle of a plaza, next to the large marble fountain in the center. She brushed her fingertips against the edge._

_“You’re starting High School soon… correct?” Finally spoke the wise maiden._

_“Y-Yes,” Miranda chirped in response. “Spooky High; it’s called.”_

_Laudanda looked over her sisters’ shoulder as she talked, eyeing the many shops that decorated the plaza, “The world above is unlike ours, sister. You’ll be the first of the Vanderbilt’s to attend their primary education OUTSIDE the kingdom borders.”_

_“I’ve been told,” Miranda said with a flippant eye roll. “Not that it was my choice though. Daddy wants me to ‘make friends’ and ‘expand our kingdom’s domain’—"._

_“Miranda. Take a look at that.” Laudanda nodded her head to something behind Miranda. The girl turned her shoulder, expecting to see a noteworthy commotion but merely witnessing an exchange between a seller and a customer. The merchant, a thin merman with a cyan complexion, was in the middle of selling off a jeweled necklace to the buyer, a round shark-merman with a hunched back._

_“What about it?” Responded Miranda. “That peasant is rather foolish to buy such a puny looking necklace. I have rings larger than the size of that—”_

_She stopped talking when she noticed her sister began to walk towards the pair. Miranda puffed out her cheeks in frustration. How was she supposed to please her sister’s unfeasible expectations if she would never even listen to her?_

_“Come Princess.” Spoke one of the bodyguards to Miranda. She groaned audibly as she and they followed Laudanda over to the shop._

_“Y-Your highness!” Squeaked the shopkeeper. He bowed his head down, “What an honor to be met with your presence.”_

_“Your majesty…” Spoke the buyer. He nodded as well._

_Laudanda looked at both of them carefully for a moment, before turning her attention to the shopper._

_“I believe you stole something from this man. I’ll give you this one chance to correct your wrongdoings.”_

_“P-Pardon me?” Responded the buyer. He took a nervous step back and clutched a hand to his chest. “I-I believe your mistaken, my princess. I bought this necklace with my own money.” He nervously held out the necklace in his other hand._

_“He’s right your majesty… the payment was just made.” Peeped the merchant._

_Laudanda glared at the man intensely. Miranda stood behind her sister’s shoulder and watched the situation unfold. She began to notice the buyer visibly shaking._

_“Yes… THAT piece of jewelry was purchased,” Spoke Laudanda, “But what about the one in your clenched hand? Did you purchase that one as well?”_

_Miranda’s eyes widened. He was a thief? How did Laudanda know?_

_The man, eyes wide with fear, slowly lowered the hand that clutched his chest and opened his palm, revealing a shiny ring that looked much more expensive than the necklace._

_“As I thought.” Nodded the wise princess. “While this merchant was distracted with selling off that necklace, you swiped the most expensive piece of jewelry you could find on the left side of the table. Am I correct?”_

_“Your majesty! P-Please, I—”_

_“Thievery is not condoned in this kingdom.” Laudanda raised a hand. Her guards stepped up from behind her to take the man by either arm._

_“NO! PLEASE! YOUR HIGHNESS. IT WAS JUST FOR MY WIFE—”_

_The plaza fell silent as all eyes watched the merman get dragged away. Miranda, noticing that the ring was dropped on the ground where the man once stood, picked it up and looked at it closely._

_Laudanda watched her sister with callous, calculating eyes, “Listen well, dear sister,” She reached out a hand to take the ring and placed it back on the stunned merchant’s counter._

_“What you see at first glance isn’t always the truth. This world is plagued with people full of nefarious, underlying motives who will abuse your innocence.”_

_Laudanda turned sharply on her heels and prepared to walk back to the palace. Her sister walked by her side._

_“Y-Yeah. But none would ever dare deceive a princess such as I. I’m a Vanderbilt, I—”_

_“The world doesn’t revolve around the Vanderbilt’s.” Laudanda interrupted sharply. “Know this, my dear sister, if anyone tries to misuse your trust, you show them no mercy. Show them that the Vanderbilt’s yield to none. Understood?”_

_Miranda felt a lump form in her throat. She swallowed it down, reminding herself never to have sister-sister evenings EVER again._

_-_

_Present Day_

_-_

Brian and Miranda made arrangements to meet up and prepare for Miranda’s interview. The pair decided to set up a “mock interview”. Miranda got the idea to set up a roleplaying scenario (it was currently off season for the school plays; and she was really missing acting). Miranda offered up her home to conduct the interview. The thought of having him over made Miranda nervous, as she had yet to get over her recent epiphany about the zombie, but she insisted nonetheless; she desperately needed his help for this interview. Also, she didn’t feel like walking anywhere today.

Miranda paced back and forth in front of her door, anticipating a knock. She fumbled with her blazer, making sure there weren’t any wrinkles on it,

The princess didn’t actually have any “business clothes” until today, but she was fortunate to have a middle-aged witch as her neighbor. The woman just so happened to have been looking to get rid of some old clothes that didn’t fit her anymore. Due to this, Miranda scored herself a maroon blazer, a matching skirt, a white button-up, and simple black heels.

Of course, the witch had no idea Miranda was looking for business clothes, so she had already thrown them in the dumpster. But don’t worry, Miranda gave them a long wash after she fished them out from the garbage.

_Knock. Knock._

Miranda jumped up and immediately rushed over to her open her front door.

Just as anticipated, there stood Brian, wearing his best clothes. He wore a dark green button up with a black tie and jacket over it. For some reason, he also wore a sleek pair of brow line glasses. Miranda never recalled him needing glasses to see before; but he _definitely_ pulled them off well.

If Miranda knew about the “sexy teacher” fetish, she surely would be a fan of it now.

“Mr. Yu!” Beamed the mermaid, “Thank you for coming.”

“Sure, thing Miri.” Brian replied as he took a step inside.

Suddenly, Miranda frowned. She leaned in and spoke in a low voice.

“Psst, Brian…” Whined the girl. “You’re supposed to be acting like you’re my interviewer. Get into character!”

“Ah. Right. Sorry.” Brian coughed into his fist, “So, uhh… Ms. Vanderbilt –wait should I be calling you Ms. Vanderbilt? Are you still like… legally entitled to that last name?”

Miranda slapped her hands over her face and groaned audibly. “Just forget it… call me Miranda.”

As Brian stepped inside, taking a good look at the barren apartment, Miranda shut the door and reminded herself to try not to throw Brian or herself out the window during this experience.

Brian looked around the room, from the kitchenette to the bed. “So uhm… where should I sit?”

Miranda furrowed her brow at the zombie, before pointing at the ground between them. Brian looked down to see a couple of pillows that were placed on the ground.

“I don’t have a table yet.” Blatantly replied Miranda. “It’s called _improv,_ Brian.”

“Why are you so grumpy today?” Brian frowned as he sat down on the pillow.

“Apologies. I’m very nervous.” Miranda brushed a hand through her ponytail as she sat her knees down on the pillow.

“You’ll be fine,” Brian pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and unfolded it. He also pulled out a ballpoint pen, ready to take notes with. “I’m just going to ask you a few interview questions, answer them as best as you can, and we will work from there. Ready?”  
  


Miranda put her best game face on as she nodded her head. Her determined face vaguely resembled that of a toddler’s, but still, she looked confident enough.

“Okay. First question.” Brian held the paper up to his nose. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Sure. I’m Miranda! I’m a princess! Er… used to be a princess? Not really sure.”

“Okay… could you tell me a little more?”

“Sure. I’m also a mermaid.” Miranda grinned and puffed out her shoulders.

Brian took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, this was going to be harder than he thought. “That’s good and all, but quick tip, usually when an interviewer asks you to tell them about yourself, they mean… things that you do. What are your hobbies?”

“O-Oh…” Miranda frowned in thought for a moment. “My hobbies… umm…”

“We can come back to that one.” Brian assured with a wave of his hand, “What are your strengths?”

“Hehe. Oh Brian, I don’t work out. That’s too boarish for my tastes—”

“Not physical strengths. What are you good at doing?” He quickly corrected. He should have known the mermaid would misunderstand.

“Ooooh! Okay, I see.” Miranda said with a nod of her head. “I’m good at talking, and putting on makeup, and telling people what to do, and I’m good at wearing nice clothes! See? Doesn’t this blazer compliment me well?”

“You look amazing.” Brian sighed. “Those aren’t really strengths that would apply to working as a barista though. Well… some of them would pass, but I think you should talk a little bit more about what good things you could do in a job.”

“Well how should I know that?” Huffed the mermaid, “I’ve never had a job before…”

“Fair point. Okay… uhh…” Brian scratched his head as he scanned his list. “Question three, why do you want this job?”

“Money.”

“No!” Brian smacked his forehead. “Ugh… I mean… what’s a reason you want to work here… _besides_ money. Think about what it would do for you as a person.”

“Brian. I literally only want this job so I can buy cute things.” Miranda said with a frown. “Weren’t you listening when I told you this?”

Brian sighed to collect himself. Brian has been alive(?) for over twenty-years, and not once has he ever lost his cool. With Miranda, however… she was throwing new challenges his way.

“Miranda. This isn’t working. Let’s try something else.”

“Okay… fine… but may I at least see what notes you’ve written down for me?”

Brian silently handed her the paper. She scanned it, seeing that the only writing on it was the word “Yikes” Written at the bottom.

“Oh…” Miranda bit her lip. She hadn’t realized how poor of a job she was doing with this mock interview.

Brian immediately picked up on Miranda’s sadness. He reached his hand out to grab her shoulder gently.

“Hey… don’t let this discourage you. Okay? You may not be able to interview like other monsters can, but that doesn’t mean you CAN’T do this. You’re Miranda Vanderbilt—"

“Exactly. I’m Miranda _Vanderbilt.”_ Miranda spit out her last name with disgust. “Take away my last name, THEN tell me who I am.” She felt tears forming in her eyes, she turned her head to the side in shame, but immediately felt a pair of gentle, cold fingers underneath her chin that led her eyes into the pair of black orbs that were looking at her with concern.

“With or without your last name, you are Miranda.” Brian replied, causing Miranda’s face to flush even pinker than it already was from his intense aura.

“You’re the most charming, compelling, and cheerful monster I’ve ever met. Whether you know it or not, you have this sense of pleasantness about you that’s just… _infectious._ We only made our deal together last week, and I feel like I can be more open with you than anyone else. You have a lot going for you Miranda. Sometimes during interviews, you just got to fake it until you make it. It’s okay to doubt yourself, but you need to remember all the things you excel at.”

Miranda didn’t speak, and she didn’t dare move a muscle. She just watched with wide eyes as Brian slowly pulled his hand away from her face.

“Let’s take a break for a now.” Sighed the zombie, “Want me to order us some pizza?”

“I-I’m not the biggest fan of pizza…”

“We can get a side of wings made from air people—”

“Sounds great!”

-

The next couple of days went by similarly. Miranda and Brian, whether at school or outside of it, would go over ways for Miranda to land her job interview. Ever since Brian gave the mermaid those words of encouragement, her confidence went up significantly. She realized she didn’t need to be the prime candidate for the position. As long as she was honest and presented herself as capable and ready to learn new things; that’s all she could really do.

Also, she was just applying at a coffee shop. They probably take in everyone who walks in.

“Today’s the day.” Stated Brian as the two stood in front of the café. A cool breeze pushed at their coats. Brian wore a beanie to protect his ears from the wind; while Miranda wore a knitted scarf around her neck.

Miranda pushed through the door. There were no customers present; likely since it was the middle of the evening on a workday, so the barista at the front was just relaxing by the counter; scrolling through her phone. She glanced up upon hearing the two-walk in.

“Hey there. What are we getting today?” She greeted as she straightened up. She was a vampire, her light orange skin contrasted rather humorously with the muted green of her work uniform.

“Actually…” Mumbled Miranda as she began to unbutton her coat. “I’m here to see a Norman Pierson. I have an interview with him today…”

The girl’s face changed, albeit just for a second. Brian picked up on it though. She almost looked… scared? But she quickly flashed a smile at Miranda.

“Sure thing! You can come on back with me! He’s just in his office.”

Miranda nodded and turned to Brian, “Wish me luck.”

Brian gave her a brief thumbs up before taking her coat from her. “Next time I see you, you’ll be an official coffee maker.”

Miranda giggled and went behind the counter to follow the vampire to the back, leaving Brian alone. He took a seat at a table close to the cash register and kicked back. Did he think Miranda was qualified for the job? Eh… maybe. But did he think her sweetness was enough to win over her future-boss regardless? That, he certainly did.

-

The vampire led Miranda around a corner into a storage room.

“His office is right through there.” The vampire pointed a finger at a door on the opposite wall.

“Thank you… umm—” Miranda turned to look at the girl’s name tag, “Elizabeth.”

“It’s just Beth, and hey, good luck in there!” She blurted out before immediately turning around and heading back to the front of the store.

Miranda breathed in to calm her nerves. She knew it was now or never. She walked toward the door and opened it.

“Excuse me?” Miranda squeaked as she stepped in. It was a small, rather cramped office. There was a desk facing the door with a small wooden chair in front of it (likely for Miranda to sit it). A couple photographs were hung on the wall as well as a large post-it board that seemed to be filled with information on shipping details.

Oh yeah, and there was a human man sitting at a swivel chair typing away on a computer. He was an average looking man. Average height, average build, his black hair was slightly disheveled, and he wore a simple button up with a tie and khaki pants.

Wait a minute... a… human man?

His face immediately lit up upon seeing Miranda step in.

“Ah! You must be Miranda. I’m Norman. Please have a seat!” He flashed a pair of perfectly white teeth at the mermaid as he stood up and offered a hand to shake. Miranda did so, before sitting down on the wooden chair.

Miranda chuckled nervously as she sat down. “I—uh, didn’t know this place was ran by monsters AND humans.”

The relationship between humans and monsters in this world was… shaky. By law, they coexisted peacefully, but that didn’t stop discrimination and bad blood from forming between the two groups anyway.

“Not a human, actually.” Norman Pierson corrected with a shake of his finger, “My mom’s a centaur, my pop’s a minotaur. So while my older brother got to be a bull with horse legs… I… well… got the human half of both.”

“Oh, I see.” Miranda nodded politely. She never knew that was how monster genetics worked. Of course, she couldn’t be certain because she never payed attention in biology, but the news was still surprising.

“Anyway,” Began Norman, “I’ve got just a few questions I want to run by you. Let’s get started, shall we?”

-

Brian sat alone for a minute until he saw Beth, the orange-skinned vampire, walk over to him with two mugs of coffee in her hands.

“Thanks, but… I didn’t order anything.” Brian mumbled.

“You’re the first customer to walk in since my shift started this morning and I’m bored.” She replied before setting the drink in front of him and taking a seat across from him, “You look like the time who likes it bitter, but I put a little cream in it… I wasn’t sure.”

“Thanks. But uhh… am I actually the first customer to come in since this morning. And –wait you’ve been here since this morning? It’s already the evening…”

Beth’s face twitched suddenly. She averted her eyes and rubbed the back of her head, “I-I’m just u-uh… picking up a shift for a friend today.”

Brian hummed in response and took a sip of his coffee. He was picking up weird signals from this vampire girl already. She looked young, probably only a couple hundred years old, but she also looked skittish, and maybe even a little paranoid.

“So…” Beth cleared her throat, “Your girlfriend seemed nice.”

Brian’s eyes widened. He chuckled awkwardly and waved a hand in front of his face.

“N-No no… she’s not… we’re not… uhh…”

Beth snorted, “Ahhhhh. I see.”

“She is nice though. Really nice.” Brian sighed into his palm. “I’m sure your boss will like her.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Brian sighed audibly, causing Beth to give him a quizzical look.

“Something wrong?” She mumbled.

“Are you going to keep playing dumb or are you going to tell me what you’re hiding?”

-

Miranda was stunned to hear how quickly her interview ended.

She was also surprised that Norman didn’t ask her any of the questions Brian prepared her for. Instead of asking “What are your strengths” and “Where do you see yourself in 5 years”, he just asked her questions about what she does in her free time. She stated she had no extracurricular activities, nor did she do much outside of school ever since she stopped attending the royal balls that her family hosted.

“Well. I like your attitude.” Grinned Norman the human, “And you seem like you’re eager to get some work under your belt. You start next Wednesday.”

“R-Really!? Wonderful!” Miranda cheered as she hopped up from her seat, “That’s so generous of you! And so soon too!”

“Sure. We are a little understaffed at the moment, ahah…” Norman chuckled awkwardly.

“Hmm? You are? I could have sworn there were plenty of monsters at the front counter just last week.”

At that moment, Norman’s posture changed. He looked defensive. Miranda immediately picked up on a change of tone in the man but couldn’t quite understand what was wrong with him.

“Yes, we WERE pretty well staffed but…” Norman fingered at his collar, “They all quit on me. Didn’t even give me a notice. Just… left…”

Miranda frowned, feeling sorry for the man. He must have been desperate to find new employees for his shop.

“What reason did they give for leaving? If I may ask?”

“No matter.” Norman’s face immediately changed back into its cheerful hospitality. He handed Miranda a slip of paper, “Just go ahead and sign this for me. Then you’ll be an official barista! Yay!”

Miranda raised an eyebrow but took the paper and grabbed a pen off the desk. Normally, she would just go ahead and sign right away, that’s what she always did whenever she was handed an official document, but something in the back of her head told her it might be a good idea to at least skim through the document.

Miranda eyed through the document.

“N-No need to read any of that old silly stuff!” Norman gulped out, “It’s just paperwork to put on file!”

As he said that, Miranda’s eye caught a paragraph that made her gasp. She was about to speak but heard the door behind her slam open as Brian slammed open the door.

“MIRANDA.” Brian roared, “DON’T LISTEN TO THIS FREAK!”

“Hey!” Norman yelled as he got up from behind the desk, “Don’t monster’s like you know it’s rude to just barge in and—”

Norman Pierson was interrupted by a swift punch to the side of the head, knocking him down.

Only, it wasn’t Brian who through the punch.

Miranda towered over the man fallen man, clutching the document in her shaking hands.

“YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE ME A SLAVE!?” Cried out the distraught princess, “YOU HIRE YOUNG, INNOCENT MONSTER’S LOOKING FOR WORK ONLY SO YOU CAN FORCE THEM TO WORK SHIFTS THAT LAST FOR ENTIRE DAYS.” Miranda took a step back; she barred her teeth angrily.

“A-And you barely pay them for all their work. But they can’t do anything about it because you make them sign this legally binding document. You’re a crook! A crook! How do you possibly sleep at night when you treat your employee’s like this?”

“Because monsters deserve to be treated like this!” Screamed the man as he clutched his swollen cheek.

“It’s because of YOUR KIND that I can’t be accepted by the human world. I have the exact look of any human, but they judge me based on my genes! My monster genes ruined my life! It’s not fair that monster’s like you get to be accepted in this world while normal people like me get left for scraps!”

Miranda didn’t respond, she just tore up the paper and threw the scraps onto the man’s chest.

“Miranda, I—” Brian began, but Miranda immediately stormed out of the room. Brian gave Norman one more look of disgust before following her.

He found her by the table, putting on her coat, furiously buttoning it up as her face turned from a gentle pink to a fuming red. Brian didn’t see any trace of Beth the vampire. She must of fled after she told Brian everything about her slavery to this café.

“Hey? Are you okay?” Brian asked as he carefully approached the girl.

She looked back at him with a face full of rage. Brian could never recall ever seeing Miranda like this. She had tears in her eyes, but they weren’t tears of sorrow. They were frustrated tears.

“That sucked. How could that man possibly get away with treating monster’s like they are tools!?”

“Well, that’s kind of what the Vanderbilt’s do to their subjects—”

Brian stopped himself before he could finish. He instantly regretted that.

“…What?” Miranda spoke low. She sounded hurt.

“I-I- Mean… listen—”

“IF THAT’S HOW YOU FEEL THEN WHY ARE YOU HELPING ME!?”

Miranda took a step back, away from Brian and crossed her arms over her body defensively.

“I-IF YOU REALLY THINK THAT I AM LIKE THAT MAN, THEN WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE? HUH!? OH WAIT… I KNOW…”

-

_“What you see at first glance isn’t always the truth. This world is plagued with people full of nefarious, underlying motives who will abuse your innocence.”_

-

Miranda took a breath. She was furious. Furious at Norman, furious at Brian, but most of all, furious at herself.

“I know why you’re helping me.” Miranda said in a whisper. She took a seat at the table and leaned her elbow against it, “You’re helping me only because you are going to get something out of it in the end. Nobody in this world does ANYTHING out of the kindness of their hearts. I realize that now, people only drag down other’s, like Norman, or watch silently so they can avoid getting dragged down any further, like that vampire. She could have warned me, but she didn’t! And you!” Miranda glared at Brian as he stood their silently, “You are only helping me so you can reap your rewards and leave me stranded afterwards! J-Just admit it! Admit you only spend time with me so you can take you’re rewards!”

There was a long moment of silence. Brian stood there and stared at Miranda while she wept silently to herself. Finally, Brian took a seat and sighed.

“Do you have it all out of your system now?”

Her response came in the form of a sniffle.

“Good. Because… to be completely honest.” Brian sighed, before laughing gently, “I had forgotten all about you paying me back for all of this. I was just having fun.”

Miranda looked up at the zombie across the table from her.

“What…?” She whispered.

“I like hanging out with you. I-I don’t know—”

He was interrupted by the girl jumping onto the table and throwing her arms around him.

“T-Thank you,” She gasped between her tears, “F-For being my closest friend…”

As she wept into his arms, Brian sat there, quietly patting her back.

She was small, he thought, very small. He could practically fold her entire body into him and shield her from the rest of the world.

He kind of wished he _could_ do that. Just wrap this girl in his arms and carry her off to a place where people like Norman and her own family couldn't make her cry anymore.

But no, that wouldn't be fair to her. Living life came with happiness, sure, but it also came with a little bit of sadness too. That was just how it worked. Miranda would have to learn to live her life even if it meant being a little bit sad all the time too.

As much as that sucked, Brian knew that was how it had to be.

As far as he was concerned, no other monster on Earth deserved to feel alive quite as much as Miranda did. She deserved at least that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I know this fic isn't the most popular story in this fandom, but I seriously appreciate all the feedback everyone has given so far.
> 
> I would consider myself lucky if even ONE person read through this story, so hearing that there are multiple people who take the time to read my writing genuinely makes my day! Thank you all, and hey, if you made it this far, thanks for reading my notes! That’s pretty nice of you!


	5. Princess Movies

“And then,” Liam pushed up his glasses and smirked, “Lady Gaga AND Kevin Spacey invited me to their New Year’s Eve parties. Hah, that _really_ made Venus Williams jealous then.”

“Wow.” Vera sarcastically stated after taking a sip of her drink, “You’re _such_ a badass, Liam.”

Brian, who was also seated at the lunch table with them, huffed in agreement as he poked at his mashed potatoes — he clearly wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.

Liam immediately picked up on this and threw a tomato he picked off his uneaten salad at him, “If Vera and I are going to let you sit here with us, you should at least TRY to participate, mister!”

“He does have a point.” Vera chipped in, “Normally, you at least _pretend_ to care about what I have to say, but you’re just mediocre to be around right now.”

Brian snapped out of daze for a second, “Y-Yeah yeah, I’m totally listening. Liam, you like, had sex with Lady Gaga but then Kevin Spacey and Venus Williams walked in on it or something.”

“While that is exactly what happened, You’re STILL hardly paying attention!” Groaned the purple skinned vampire.

Brian sighed and glanced up at his two friends, “I guess I’m a little sidetracked lately. It’s Miranda… I haven’t heard from her in a few days. Hell, I haven’t even seen her in _school.”_

Liam scoffed, “Don’t worry about it too much, lover boy. She probably just forgot what time she has to come to school. She doesn’t have her serfs to remind her after all.”

“That’s not like her — well… not like her _anymore_.” Retorted the zombie.

Vera toyed with a snake that wrapped itself around her finger. She made it look like she was aloof about Miranda’s whereabouts — but she was concerned too; at least as concerned as Vera could be.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you just text her?”

Brian’s response came with him sliding his phone across the table to the gorgon. She glanced at the device, seeing two missed calls and five unread messages all sent from Brian.

The gorgon smirked, “Aww… how cute. The big-mean bodyguard is developing a soft spot for his princess. Careful now, your lustful brute, it’s unprofessional to develop feelings for your client.”

Normally, Brian could shrug off any of Vera’s intimidation, but she had finally managed to pick at a soft spot in the zombie; even if she didn’t fully know it.

“Whatever.” Brian snatched his phone from across the table and huffed, “I’m not gettin’ a crush or anything! And I’m not her bodyguard. I’m just helping her out. Excuse me if I’m just a little concerned about her.”

“Are you concerned for her safety?”

“Yeah.”

“And you are looking out for her well-being?”

“Yes…?”

Vera took a sip of her drink, “Sounds like a bodyguard to me, hon.”

Brian groaned audibly as he buried his face in his hands. He should have known better than to expect either of these monsters to show some sympathy.

“If you’re _soooo_ worried about her,” Liam began, “Then just go to her place and see her. You know where it is, right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s a good idea. Okay, bye.”

“I DIDN’T MEAN IN THE MIDDLE OF SCHOOL YOU NUMBSKULL!!”

But Liam’s insult was too late, as Brian was already halfway out of the cafeteria. The vampire watched in vain as the zombie sprinted down the hall and out of sight. He sighed as he turned towards the silent observer: Vera Oberlin.

“So. You finally have blackmail on him now.”

Vera Oberlin was a woman of opportunity. She kept a list of the fears and weak points of every monster in Spooky High; from Damien’s masculinity issues to Aaravi’s secret love of rom coms. There were only two monsters’ in the entire school who managed to stay out of her list. One was her sister, Valerie (for obvious reasons), and the other was Brian; an indifferent monster who even Vera was never able to pry apart.

“You know… I think I’ll let this one slide.” Vera hummed, “I think I would rather stay out of Brian’s little crush. At least, until I have a reason _not_ to intervene.”

The two went back to their lunch, secretly missing the company that Brian always provided them; even if the company WAS always silent.

-

It was only a short drive before Brian reached the apartment complex the mermaid lived in. He was only surprised he didn’t think to see her earlier. He was too busy being a worry wart that he didn’t even consider confronting her in person.

Brian decided he wasn’t a fan of being a nervous wreck– that was Oz’s job; not his.

Brian hadn’t talked to Miranda since the incident a couple days ago at the coffee shop. After Miranda’s interview to apply as a barista led into discovering that the boss overworks his monster employee’s, Miranda hadn’t reached out to Brian after that. After that fiasco, she told Brian it was probably best if he went home; she said she needed time to think.

Brian knew he should have talked to her more. He knew he should have tried to console her better. Hell, he should have at LEAST walked the traumatized girl back home. He made a mental note to apologize to her for how shrewd he was back in the café.

After the zombie climbed up four flights of stairs, walked down two hallways, and passed a room that smelled suspiciously of hydrochloric acid, he found himself in front of Miranda’s room.

It was quiet in there. Not that he expected to hear anything through the door, but still, he was kind of hoping he could at least hear the sound of her singing or complaining; something to let Brian know that everything was as it should be, and he was just overreacting.

But no, there was no sound.

Brian hesitantly knocked on the door. After waiting a moment for a response, he knocked again. He was starting to get to the point where if he had to knock one more time, he would just have to bust this door down.

Right as Brian took a step back to start thrusting his body into the door, he heard the lock click, and the wooden door opened slowly.

There stood Miranda Vanderbilt; wearing an oversized pajama shirt and shorts. Her hair was messy and unkempt; she reeked with the smell of rotten fish, and she had a half-eaten liter of cherry pecan ice cream in her hand.

“Oh…” yawned the princess, “It’s you.”

Brian stood and gawked at the mermaid for a moment. She looked like a disaster.

Well, he thought she still looked adorable, but more in the way you would think a raccoon digging through your neighbor’s trash is adorable.

“H-Hey.” Breathed out the zombie.

Miranda gave him a dead panned stare. She only opened the door halfway, letting most of her body remain out of sight.

“Brian? Can I help you with something?”

Brian blinked a couple times to snap back into focus, “I-I just came to check on you.”

“Oh. Well… I’m fine. Thanks. You can go now bye—”

Just as Miranda prepared to close the door, Brian shot his hand out to stop it from closing. He took a step towards Miranda, significantly closing the gap between them. He looked down at her with a pair of concerned eyes that he hardly ever used.

“Most people who haven’t showered in two days and eat right out of the ice cream container usually aren’t doing fine…”

Miranda stared up at him; half with frustration and the other with sorrow. She sighed as she took a step to the side, beckoning the zombie to come in.

“If it will ease your worries,” sighed the princess, “Then fine. Come in for a chat.”

Brian had to do a double take around of Miranda’s home as he walked inside. The room that used to just be barren walls with the essentials was now practically a dream suite (if the suite was a cheap one-bedroom apartment). String lights hung off the ceiling all around the room with the use of sticky hooks stuck to the ceiling. The only light the room previously had come from the windows on the far wall; so these lights provided a soft, warming glow. The room that used to be vacant of furniture was now decorated with a blue sofa, a loveseat beside that, a wood coffee table, and a decent sized television hung up on the wall. There was a hot pink blanket on the back of the chair with matching heart-shaped pillows on either side of the couch. There was a small dining table near the kitchenette with room for two. A large circular rug took up a large amount of space in the center of the room. It was a white and blue rug decorated with starfish and little dolphins. Brian even noticed that her bed (which used to have a plain beige comforter and white pillows), was now a deep red color with light pink pillows and a matching body pillow at the foot at the bed.

Brian took a few slow turns as he examined the room. It looked completely different from what it was just two short days ago.

Brian cleared his throat as he turned towards Miranda, “So—uhh… I’m noticing a change in the décor.”

Miranda nodded; as if she hadn’t even noticed the change in the room herself.

“Oh yeah.” Miranda sighed as she walked over to the fridge to put her half-eaten ice cream away, “I obviously didn’t get the job at the café, but I still needed money. So after you left, I… umm… may or may not had stolen money from the front.”

Miranda rubbed her neck sheepishly, “I know it was kind of a low move, but I was still really mad and took out my anger by destroying the cash register with a clipboard. I figured that dude didn’t deserve to have all that hard-earned money. Err—I guess I don’t deserve it either…”

Brian took a moment to process all of that information. Stealing was wrong, regardless of who was being stolen from, but he supposed he couldn’t blame Miranda at the end of the day. Brian knew that at the end of the day, the average monster had a moral compass that was about as straight as everyone at Spooky High. (Brian was pretty certain nobody at that school was straight; so that means monsters have pretty messed up moral compasses.)

“So let me get this straight,” Brian pinched his nose, “You took a bunch of money and blew it all on stuff for your house?”

“Yes.”

Brian gave the princess a quizzical look, “Look, I’m not happy you stole money, but I guess I’ll let it slide because that Norman dude was a jerk. However, I’m actually kind of proud of you for going out by yourself, buying furniture, and decorating your place all by yourself.”

Brian walked over to the girl who was still standing in the kitchen. He looked down at her and crossed his arms, “But that still doesn’t explain why you’ve been completely MIA for the last two days.”

Miranda’s face darked; she looked down at her feet and sighed.

“What’s the point? Brian?”

She walked over to her couch and sat down in a huff—pulling her knees up to her chest as she stared forward with a blank expression.

Brian carefully took a seat beside the girl, “What do you mean—”

“I mean what’s the point in _trying so hard!?_ ” Miranda threw her hands up as she roared out that question. Normally when she got heated up like this, she would begin to cry. However; no tears came out of her eyes this time, “Why am I trying to be more independent when I get _literally_ nothing in return? I do all of these things, like stand up for myself, apply for jobs, and I set up my own furniture. And yet, everything I do always seems to end with someone trying to kill me or throw me into slavery.”

She spoke calmy and collectively, as if she was running those thoughts through her head over and over again until someone finally came around to ask her what is wrong.

Miranda went back into her fetal position on the couch and sighed, “I bought all of this nice stuff. And I still don’t feel better… because I feel like I’m never going to _be_ better.”

Brian sat there quietly for a moment, before suddenly getting an idea.

“Well, in that case,” Brian made a big deal out of shrugging his shoulders and standing up, “I guess I’m just going to have to stay here with you until you feel better. Doctor’s orders.”

“You’re not a doctor…” Miranda mumbled with her face buried in her knees.

“I can be anything I want. And either way, I agreed to see you through til’ the end.” Brian playfully scooped up the princess into his arms so she would stop moping on the couch. The princess yelped as she was suddenly dragged up. She instinctively clung to the zombie’s neck and hung on to keep from falling. She looked up at the monster with wide, surprised eyes. Brian looked back at her, and for a moment, his mind completely turned off as he stared down at the girl. The two stayed like that for a few moments, before Brian felt an awkwardness creep up in the air around him. He chuckled nervously. As he did, however, he took in a deep breath through his nose.

“Ugh… Miranda?” Brian croaked, “How long as it been since you showered?”

The girl’s face immediately flushed a dark shade of pink, “O-Oh! Umm… I suppose it’s been a while —”

“Well as your self-proclaimed doctor —” Brian set the girl down and pointed a finger to the bathroom door; a teasing grin marked his face, “I refuse to continue your treatment any further until you decontaminate yourself.”

Miranda giggled before skipping off to go take a shower, “Yes doctor!” As she entered the door and closed it behind her, it suddenly hit her that this was the first time she had laughed, or even smiled, in the past few days. Perhaps it was just because she liked roleplay and acting so much that she enjoyed this _doctor and patient_ bit they were doing, but Miranda knew deep down that something else was the cause for making her mood better so quickly.

-

After Miranda “decontaminated” her odor in the shower, she stepped out of the bathroom to see Brian on the couch with his legs propped up on the coffee table. A freshly heated bag of popcorn rested by his side as he used the remote to flip through channels.

“I’m so glad to see you’ve made yourself at home.” Miranda stated sarcastically as she rung out her still damp hair. Since she was a mermaid, her hair instantly looked fabulous the instant it got some water in it, but the princess still liked to play with it when it was wet. It felt nice running her fingers through the thick locks of dampened hair. It reminded her of swimming in the ocean – where she belonged.

Brian nodded his head and patted the spot beside him. Miranda took a seat, making sure there was at least a little bit of breathing room between the two. The mermaid was unsure how much more physical contact her heart could take. Right as she sat down, Brian settled on a channel that was playing the opening scene of a movie.

Miranda instantly recognized it. It was a princess movie marathon. It was those animated movies about princesses who sung through all of their problems and had little animal sidekicks who were at her call and beckon. The prince’s in these movies were always handsome, Miranda thought, but she could never really remember which prince went with which princess. They were all pretty much the exact same, albeit with different hair styles.

Miranda used to dream of being like the princesses in these movies.

But now? She couldn’t help but laugh at them.

The two sat through about four or five of these movies. They kept cracking jokes the entire time.

“I know how this movie ends. But I’m still rooting for the villain.” Brian snickered as he reached for some popcorn.

“At this point I wouldn’t even call them a villain –” Miranda giggled in response, “Everyone else in this movie is just kind of dumb compared to them.”

“Yup. But since the songs are catchy it means everything works out for the princess and her guy in the end.”

Miranda’s face turned a little sour. She pursed her lips and stared at the screen blankly; her mind was suddenly completely out of it. Brian glanced at her for a moment; but instantly recognized her as expression as what she was wearing when he first walked in.

“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”

Miranda sat up straight; but she knew she had already been caught. There was no point in trying to play it off at this point. She _had_ managed to come out of her funk, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t totally at ease either.

These childish movies they were watching; they were silly, nonsensical, and fatuous.

And yet, these childish movies were Miranda’s childhood.

“I realized something these past few days.” Suddenly began the mermaid as she frowned at her feet, “I realized that even though I want to change – even though I’m _trying_ to change so badly I… I can’t.”

She got off the couch and stood at the end of the coffee table, her eyes fixed on the screen. The movies were currently at the part where the princess sings her heartbreaking solo number.

“I’ve been a selfish princess my entire life.” The mermaid admitted, “I’ve been self-centered and callous towards everyone around me. A-And I know I have nobody to blame but myself – I know that. But… at the same time, I’m worried that I’ve selfish for _so long_ that how can I really change?”

By now, she has slowly walked up to the TV as she talked. While the animated princess on the TV sung her ballad with a sparkling tear falling down her perfectly sculpted face, the princess of the real word affectionally and sympathetically placed a hand on the cartoon girl’s cheek. As if somehow, she could reach through the screen and wipe the tears away _for_ her.

“How can I ever stop being like this if _THIS_ is all that I am?”

It was quiet for a moment.

Whether it was one minute or ten, neither of the two said anything. Miranda stared at the television, her hand never leaving that certain spot on the screen. Meanwhile, Brian’s eyes were glued onto Miranda. A cluster of emotions swarmed through his brain. He felt heartbroken for the girl’s pain. He felt confused, because at the end of the day he would never be able to understand what she’s going through. And deep down, in the part of his heart that was also selfish, he felt kind of hurt. He felt hurt that he wasn’t going to be enough to bring Miranda the happiness she deserves.

He, alone, wasn’t quite enough.

He had to say something – DO something, to ease her fears though. He just didn’t know what words of advice or encouragement could really work on her anymore.

Unless…

It was a long shot, and something Brian hated doing. But he thought back on all the times when SHE would do this to him, and it would make him feel lighter than air.

Brian got up off the couch and pulled Miranda into a tight hug.

At first, he squeezed a little too tight, causing Miranda to yelp gently. But it didn’t take long for Brian’s grip to weaken and for Miranda’s frail arms to find themselves locked around the zombie.

Brian hasn’t been hugged all that much in his life, but for the few times he was hugged, it always left him wishing he could never let go.

“I don’t know if this will help,” Began Brian, as he still enveloped the girl in his embrace, “But I’m just going to say it. It’s okay to be unsure about yourself. It’s okay to be nervous about what will happen in the future. To be honest, I’m pretty nervous all the time too.”

Brian heard a “hmm?” from Miranda’s muffled lips, causing him to laugh slightly.

“I’m serious. I’m… kind of a wreck… 24/7. I know I don’t act like it but… trust me, there isn’t a monster out there who doesn’t doubt themselves. Nobody in this world is always constantly happy – constantly confident. Everyone in the world is always a little bit sad, and a little bit scared too. Nobody knows what the future holds for us, so were always living our lives with a little bit of sadness because we know things don’t get to last forever.”

Brian looked down at the girl, she had her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. She wasn’t crying, but she looked like she might.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Brian sighed, “Whether you meet your family’s demands, whether you don’t. Whether you stay selfless for the rest of your life or you don’t. It’s okay to second guess yourself, but just know that wherever you are in the present – that’s you. That’s who you are and that’s the person that you need to take care of. Not the girl two years in the future, not the one two years in the past. This one.”

To top off his little speech, he gave her a little boop on the nose. She flinched; and gave the zombie a quizzical look, before erupting into a fit of laughter. Brian started laughing too, and that went on for a few moments. Two monsters, laughing into each other’s embrace because they were both scared and they both needed each other to feel less scared – even if neither of them noticed that yet.

“T-Thank you… Brian.” Miranda stated as a couple more chuckles escaped her lips. “I feel much better than I did this morning – I really do. I… guess I still don’t feel fully back to normal, but I know I will soon.”

Brian’s response came in the form of him throwing his hands up in the air and groaning dramatically.

“Well _great.”_ He yelled sarcastically and theatrically, “If you’re still not feeling better, I guess that means I still have to stay! I said I wouldn’t leave until you’re fully better!”

“B-But Brian…” Giggled the mermaid, “It’s getting late.”

“Fine. I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

_Unless…_ Miranda thought to herself. But she quickly shook her head; her face flushed dark pink.

“F-Fine. The couch is yours. Anyway, let’s get back to the movie, yes? I think this is the part where the bad guy gets slain by an angry mob or something.”

The two sat down to watch the bad guy get slain by an angry mob or something. It was horrific and extremely graphic for a children’s movie – but entertaining, nonetheless. A few more hours of movie watching went by before Miranda began to feel her eyelids grow heavy and Brian began to yawn after every minute or so. The hour was growing late, and the two were feeling tired.

And so, the night ended with Miranda crawling into her queen-sized bed while Brian threw a spare blanket over his shoulder as he laid on the couch. They could hear the ambience sound of cars as they drove down the city streets just outside the window. Miranda couldn’t see Brian, since the back of the couch was to her bed, but as she laid awake for a few hours, her mind deep in thought, she could hear the sound of his snoring as it echoed through her apartment.

Miranda smiled to herself as she snuggled into her blanket.

Even if she was unsure about how her life would turn out, she knew one thing that was for certain.

She would want Brian Yu to be the one at her side forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I appreciate all feedback; whether it come in the form of kudos or a comment :)
> 
> I never expected this story to earn as many hits and overall attention as it has so far! Writing is something that I do because I love it, and you all make it much more enjoyable to do.
> 
> Thank's for reading my notes. Take care.


	6. Death Day

By now, Miranda had completely gotten over the funk she was struggling with. This is likely due to that dilemma involving her locking herself in her apartment happening well over a month ago.

Miranda has been balancing her school life and her “self-growth” life very well. Her grades went from being A’s and B’s (back when her serfs took classes for her), to low C’s and D’s, and she is gradually building all of her classes up into the mid B range. It turns out most classes were actually pretty easy if you just looked at your notes and asked your teacher about questions. All of the teacher’s at Spooky High were actually pretty nice and understanding. They just wanted to see their students succeed, even if they were horny monsters who resorted to violence when things didn’t go their way.

There was one class Miranda still struggled with though: gym.

Miranda wasn’t particularly athletic; and she didn’t have any sweat glands in her aquatic body; so that made her tire out quicker than most.

Thankfully, the activity in gym class today wasn’t particularly excruciating; so Miranda was able to hold her own. It also helped that she had Scott Howl by her side to give her morale support.

Scott and Miranda lightly chatted as they struck different poses that were being yelled out by the coach.

“Downward dog! My favorite!” Cheered the werewolf as he stuck his tooshie in the air to make an arc shape with his body.

Miranda grinned brightly as she copied the position. It turns out yoga was actually enjoyable to do when you put in the effort. It’s not like it required much muscle strength (at least for the beginner moves). However, it did require flexibility, which Miranda’s slim body conveniently excelled at. Who knew having a body that had 30% less bone mass than usual could actually come with some perks?

“I haven’t felt this energized in years.” Miranda beamed. “I should have participated on yoga day’s YEARS ago!”

“Yeah bro!” Agreed Scott, “I’m so happy you’re exercising with me! What finally got you interested in physical activity?”

“Well. I need to start trying new things…” Miranda said as she shifted into a butterfly pose. “I can never manage to finish a gym class without my serfs taking my spot or murdering my opponents. Yoga doesn’t require death though, so it’s actually quite nice. I need to learn how to be better at stuff…”

“That’s cool and all but…” Scott concentrated on standing on his head as he spoke. Somehow, his head was enough to hold up his entire body despite there not being much in there.

“I think you’ve always been fine just as you are!”

Miranda smiled sincerely at the compliment; Scott was always the best compliment-giver.

“Thank you. But still, I want to be better! Not even just because of my family’s decree anymore. I… actually want to be better.”

“Why?” Asked the werewolf. Leave it to Scott to ask the hard-hitting questions.

“Well…” Miranda thought deeply as she arched her leg in the air, “I’ve never set any goals for myself before. I’ve always just done what was expected of me. But I _really_ want to prove that I can be independent, and that I can stay independent!”

“That’s awesome bro, keep it up!” Scott cheered with a signature thumbs up. Miranda made a mental note to hang out with Scott more often. She could certainly learn a thing or two from his optimism.

A sharp whistle rang out through the gymnasium. Monsters all across the gym floor sighed in relief as they threw their bodies down on their yoga mats, breathing heavily.

“Great job today, students!” Applauded the coach, “I’m seeing some great improvement from all of you!”

“Agh! Done already?” Scott pouted as he sat cross legged on the mat, “I haven’t even broken a sweat yet!”

Miranda’s body was feeling the toll somewhat, but she too was a little bit disappointed that gym was already finished.

…

Gym was already finished…?

Miranda… finished… a gym class?

“I FINISHED A GYM CLASS!?” Miranda exclaimed. She shot up fast as a bullet and looked around the room excitedly, “OHMYGOSH! I FINISHED AN ENTIRE CLASS!? ALL BY MYSELF?”

Scott gave her a curious look as she grinned fully and grabbed Scott’s shoulders’ looking up at him with enthusiasm.

“Do you know what this means, Scott!?”

“Not really –”

“If I can finish a class of gym, I can do ANYTHING!” The mermaid began to have some weird looks thrown her way as she continued to boast and throw her fists up in the air in celebration. Suddenly, a thought ran through her head.

“I’ve got to go tell Brian!” Miranda screamed as she already turned to run out the door, “He’ll be tickled pink to hear the news! Oh, joyous day!”  
  


The little mermaid rushed out of the room in a hurry, leaving Scott Howl in her dust as the wolf tried to process what just happened.

-

Miranda searched the entire school in search of a certain zombie boy. She ran into the library; seeing nothing there besides Damien watching some strange videos on the computer that involved monsters wrestling each other without much clothing. She went into the cafeteria just in time to see Polly and Oz win a game of flip cup against Calculester and Zoe. The former team probably benefitted from having the ultimate party ghost on their side; while the later team had a robot, who couldn’t even consume alcohol, so it made sense that Polly and Oz were the winners of that outcome.

Miranda next checked inside the auditorium. It took a good deal of effort to not stay and watch Liam perform a beautiful soliloquy; but the mermaid managed to pry her eyes away long enough to retreat and continue her school-wide search for Brian. She poked her head into a classroom to see Vicky and Vera having an intense debate, and she even went out of her way to check by the oak tree in the outdoors section of the school; Brian Yu was nowhere to be found.

Miranda leaned against the tree and panted slightly. All of this yoga and running was really starting to wear her out. As she caught her breath, however, her eyes caught the sight of a tiny building on the far side of the school’s campus.

The bathrooms.

_Brian must be in there._ Miranda thought to herself as she made her way over to the bathrooms. At this point, she had completely forgotten what she was even planning on telling him. At this point, she just wanted to see him to see him.

It was weird, Miranda thought as she approached the building. She would normally see Brian every day at school. Whether it be eating lunch with him or just giving him a passing “hello” in the hallways, there was always at least ONE point in the day where Miranda would get her daily dosage of Brian Yu. Was he just absent today? Miranda hoped that was the answer. Because if it wasn’t, then the only other solution was that Brian was purposefully avoiding the mermaid.

Miranda opened the bathroom door, praying that Brian would be on the other side. Whether he was hiding in there to play video games or using the toilet, it didn’t matter, she was just hoping he would be there.

He wasn’t. But Amira was.

Miranda walked into the bathroom to see Amira Rashid sitting on the counter beside the sink. She lazily swung her legs back and forth as she scrolled through her phone.

The djinn glanced up when she heard the door open, “Oh hey. Wassup princess?”

“Greetings.” Miranda said dismissively as she began to pry open each and every bathroom stall. She didn’t find Brian behind any of the doors, but she did bear witness to a couple of things that will go on to scar her for the rest of her life. Miranda would never use public bathrooms again.

After Miranda’s search through the stalls proved fruitless, she turned towards Amira with a defeated look marking her face.

“I give up…” Sighed the mermaid, “I’ve searched this entire school for Brian, yet he still seems to avoid my radar—”

“Brian? He’s absent today?” Amira casually stated as she took a selfie.

“What!?”

“Yeah, he’s not here today. Not sure why, he wasn’t in class this morning though.”

Miranda’s mind immediately flashed to the month prior; when she was so depressed that she couldn’t leave the house. The idea of that happening to Brian—

No.

Brian wasn’t one to be sad.

That was her job. It was her job to me the emotional mess and his job to save her every time.

He… couldn’t be…

…

Could he?

“Hey. You two are pretty close –” Began Miranda, “He hasn’t… mentioned he’s going through a hard time or anything… right?”

“Brian? Pssssh,” Amira snickered, “Everything rolls off that dude’s shoulders. I don’t think he’s ever been stressed out in his entire LIFE.”

“T-That’s not true…” Miranda retorted. She began to feel nervous for the zombie now, “He told me himself that he gets sad sometimes! Sure, he gets over it, but still! He worries a lot about the future. And he worries a lot about his friends! He worries about everything, but he never shows that side of him because he is too busy having to take care of me –"

Miranda began to hyperventilate so she shut herself up. Amira looked at her with wide, shocked eyes, which led Miranda to believe the djinn was thinking she was a lunatic or something.

Finally, the girl spoke, “He… said all of that to you?”

Miranda nodded meekly, “Well… yes –”

“He’s never told me that.” Amira hopped off of the counter she was sitting on and began to pace anxiously. A mix of confusion and hurt was formed on her face.

“He never told me he worries like that. He always makes a big deal of acting all calm and collected in front of me, Vicky and Oz. Why would he tell _you_ all of that and not us?”

Amira looked at Miranda and the two shared a moment of silent understanding between each other. The two girls weren’t exactly friends, but they didn’t need to be friends to understand each other’s concerns at the moment.

“I obviously don’t know for sure,” began Miranda, “But Brian doesn’t just skip school to skip it. Maybe he’s absent today because… he’s going through something right now.”

“I guess…” Amira replied in a low voice. She turned her head to the side and gritted her teeth, “Tsk. That guy… he’s such an idiot sometimes. He thinks he can just carry the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.”

“Do you think he stayed home? I will go see him at once if –”

Miranda fell silent when she saw Amira pull her phone back up to her face. After pressing a few buttons, the fire djinn showed the mermaid her screen.

“He has his location on. It looks like he was at this place just a few minutes ago…”

Miranda mentally slapped her forehead. Why didn’t she think to check his location earlier? All social media apps nowadays were just means for placing targets on the backs of their users. And Miranda would know; she often used Snapchat to carry out her assassinations on monsters who have done her wrong.

The place he was at looked to be just a short walk away from the school campus, so Miranda wasted no time. As she turned to exit the bathroom, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She turned back around to see Amira frowning at her.

“Hey… when you find him, will you let me know? I worry about that dude.”

Miranda grinned, she was happy to hear that Brian had such caring friends.

“You have my word.”

-

Miranda typed away on her phone as she walked.

_MIRANDA: Hi Brian. Sorry to text you so randomly, is everything okay?_

Why was she so worried about him? Miranda wasn’t all that sure herself.

She cared about him; obviously. But caring for someone wasn’t a good enough excuse to skip school just to go hunt them down.

_MIRANDA: Not to be weird, but I see you have your location on. I’m going to stop by and say hi! Text me back if that’s okay…_

Perhaps she really was falling in love, and no matter how many times she told herself not to her heart just wouldn’t listen.

Maybe she felt guilty. Guilty for dragging him down into the mess that was her life and putting all of this stress on him.

_MIRANDA: Okay… don’t feel pressured to text me back. But I turned on my location too. That way, you can check when I’m there. Should just be a few more minutes…_

Or maybe the reason why Miranda was so worried about Brian Yu is because she knew that if she didn’t have him; there was no chance of her becoming a better person and proving her parents wrong.

Whatever the case, Miranda Vanderbilt sped up her pace as she went in the direction of the zombie’s phone location. She eventually stopped texting him after each minute; she figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to bombard his phone with messages. She turned on her own location so that, if he read her messages, he would know how close she was. Miranda always used to keep her location off in order to stay off the radar from pesky air people, but she figured it would be okay to leave it on for this one occasion.

Miranda followed Brian’s location for a few minutes until she found herself walking into a cemetery (which immediately made Miranda’s anxiety go up twofold). It didn’t help that winter was fast approaching; so, the sky was covered in an endless field of dull clouds. The atmosphere was dark and gloomy as Miranda walked underneath the stone arc at the entrance of the graveyard.

Miranda’s eyes were glued to her phone as she navigated her way past rows of gravestones. It looked as if Brian’s location stopped on the other side of a short hill up ahead.

Miranda was just overreacting right? He probably just took the day off to pay respects to the dead. Right? That’s totally something that Brian would do. Yeah… definitely.

It’s not like he was put back in the grave or anything.

Miranda slapped her cheek to snap herself out of her morbid thinking as she walked around the hill. She mentally prepared herself for the worst of what she may find.

She was relieved to see Brian at the other side; looking safe and very much _not_ dead.

Well… technically he IS dead, but he’s not, like, _dead_ dead.

The zombie was crouched down in front of a tombstone. Miranda approached him carefully from behind.

“Brian…?”

The zombie quickly turned his head and looked quite shocked pon seeing who called out to him.

“M-Miranda.” He stuttered out, “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.” She said quietly. “Did you not see my messages?”

“Oh… uh… I haven’t checked my phone in a little bit.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah…”

An awkward moment of silence passed.

“So…” Miranda kicked a pebble with her boot, “Whatcha’ doing here?”

“Visiting.”

“Who?”

“See for yourself.”

Miranda gave Brian a quizzical look before kneeling down beside him to get a close look at the tombstone.

_BRIAN YU._

_BORN 19XX – DIED 19XX._

_CAME BACK 20XX._

Miranda’s face went pale. Words tried to come out; but she couldn’t process anything to say.

Brian stole a glance of the princess and knew she understood well enough. The two took a strange moment of silence for the dead monster they knelt down before. Even if said dead monster was in fact _undead_ and literally sitting right there.

Brian coughed into his fist, “So… umm… today’s my death day.”

“Oh…?”  
  


“Yup. Today’s the anniversary of my death.”

Miranda frowned; she never knew that undead monsters liked to keep track of when they died. Liam, Polly, and Vicky never really talked about their deaths, so Miranda always figured it was just something they didn’t look back on too much.

“Do you… always come back to your grave on your death day?”

“Eh, not usually but… this year just felt different.”

“...”

“…”  
  


“Can I… ask you why?”

“…”

“…”

“I-It’s okay! I’m just glad you’re –”

Miranda stopped talking when she suddenly felt a large, cold hand grab her smaller one. She looked into Brian’s face; clearly seeing that he was fighting through some sort of internal debate with himself.

“I’ve… always…” Brian stuttered; trying to find his words. He eventually took a breath to calm his nerves and started over.

“I’ve always felt at least a _little_ sad on my death day. I don’t hate being a zombie or anything but… I do miss the things I had when I was human. It was easier for me to do things… like feel temperature… feel energized… feel emotional… feel _alive._ And I think this year I finally realized something –"

He gave Miranda’s hand a quick squeeze to calm his nerves again.

“I did a pretty shitty job of looking after myself when I was alive. I mean… I didn’t do anything with my life. Just look at my tombstone. All it says is when I was born, when I died, and when I was born again. It doesn’t mention anything about my life because I – never really _did_ anything with my life. I think looking out for you and seeing how much you’ve grown made me realize that I did a poor job at being alive.”

Miranda continued to listen patiently as Brian explained a little deeper. Zombies were alive, yes, but they weren’t human. They didn’t have the same drive as humans, and they didn’t continue to grow and change the way living things normally did. Zombies had the perk of being alive forever (at least until they were shot in the head), but that came with the eternal punishment of never being able to grow and change. So if a zombie’s previous life was mediocre, then zombies were practically doomed to being eternally mediocre until the end of time.

“I-I don’t blame you for any of this, don’t get the wrong idea. But in a way… I’ve become _jealous_ of you Miranda. I’m jealous that you’re going to live to become an incredible person while I’m stuck the way I am because I was too lazy to do anything with my life.”

Miranda thought quickly to try and find the words that would console her dear friend. She wanted to tell him that it was _her_ who should be jealous of him. And that just because he was mediocre as a human didn’t mean he was mediocre as a zombie. If there was one thing Miranda knew from these past few months, it was that _anyone_ was capable of change. If the princess of the merkingdom could rewrite her identity, then surely the green-skinned zombie could do the same.

Miranda didn’t say any of that to Brian though. She had a feeling that, deep down, Brian already knew all of that, and there was something else going on that was weighing him down.

It was when he said he was jealous of her that Miranda put the pieces together.

Without a word, she shifted her position to crouch in front of him (right over the ground where he used to be buried) and cupped his cheeks into her hands.

“Brian. Do you feel like you’re not good enough to be in my life?”

“Wha –”

“Because that’s not true.” She spoke softly, yet firmly, “I don’t care about what you did or didn’t do in your past life. And I don’t care that you’re poor either.”

“Now wait a minute –”

“You’re important to me, more than just because you’re my advisor and my bodyguard and all that stuff. I’m not _ABOVE_ you because of my royal blood. Because guess what, Brian? It’s just blood. There’s nothing special about me or any other member of my family. We’re just _lucky._ Lucky that we get to live in a palace while everyone else in my kingdom lives in shacks. I realize that now. And I don’t want to live my life valuing people only based on their social status. I just… I just want… to have _you_ in my life.”

Right as Miranda spat out those words, she clasped a mouth over her hand. Her face flushed a dark shade of pink.

“I-I mean…” stuttered out the princess, “I didn’t – I didn’t mean it like that I –”

Brian smiled softly at the girl and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I know exactly what you meant, Miranda…. Thanks.”

As if they were in a cheesy princess movie or something, the two got lost in each other’s eyes, just for a moment. His eyes were as deep and black as the night sky. Her eyes were a crystal blue, like the color of the sea as it glitters in the sunlight.

Brian leaned his head in, just a little bit.

Miranda did the same. They looked at the space in between their lips; it was only a couple of inches.

_RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE._

A moment that could have occurred between the two monsters was quickly interrupted by a fissure forming in the ground beside them.

As the earth around them roared, a geyser of water bursted out of the cracks in the ground.

“Oh no…” Miranda breathed out.

“What!?” Brian asked.

“It’s _her.”_

A dark figure appeared in the geyser. A short yet menacing body with deep red eyes and a maw full of razor-sharp teeth. The figure slowly stepped out from the water sprout, raising her arms out as if she were preparing to embrace someone.

“Miri! There you are.” Grinned Bellanda Vanderbilt, third princess of the Merkingdom, “I’ve finally found you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miranda relies on Brian, but I like the idea of Brian relying on Miranda too, even if he doesn't realize it. Both of these characters deserve to be fully fleshed out and independent of one another, but I really like the idea of them leaning on each other for support.
> 
> I also think it's important for Miranda's character development. If she wants to be fully independent by the end of this story, she needs to be able to pick up Brian when he's feeling down. That's what relationships are all about; picking each other up when one is feeling down.
> 
> I'm not sure how many people read each weekly update for this story; but I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this story.
> 
> On that note...
> 
> There won't be a chapter update next Friday, I'll be taking a short break. This upcoming week will be extremely busy for me so I don't want to overwhelm myself with work.
> 
> In addition to that reason, the climax of this story is fast approaching, so I want to take some time to go over my rough drafts and make sure I am satisfied with everything before finalizing all of it.
> 
> Thank you for reading the notes, I appreciate it greatly.


	7. The Throne Room

Did Brian ever think he would score a date with Miranda Vanderbilt?

NEVER. At least... not until today anyway. When Miranda and him somewhat-kind of-sort of confirmed their feelings to each other, that set off some alarms in Brian's brain. He DEFINITELY didn’t imagine them almost kissing, right?

Now, in the scenario where he actually WOULD score a romantic date with Miranda, he never quite expected it to go like this.

Him, her, and her sister, Bellanda, all enjoying a picnic of chicken wings and turkey soup as they sat in the middle of a cemetery that Brian used to be buried in.

His mind still kept going back to the moment before Bellanda showed up. Were Miranda and he about to... kiss?

Brian leaned his back against his tombstone as he chewed on a chicken wing.

“I’m glad to hear you enjoy eating real food now, Miranda!” Bellanda grinned after devouring a couple wings, “I would hate for all of this food to go to waste.”

Miranda toyed with the corner of the picnic blanket they were all sitting on. She looked ready to jump out of her skin.

“Yes sister…” Miranda replied through gritted teeth, “And what a _lovely_ surprise it is for you to make such an unexpected arrival. Umm… how did you find me, exactly?”

“You finally turned your location on!” Bellanda snickered, “You never have it on, so when I saw on my phone that you were here, I knew I had to act fast!”

“Oooh... that’s so _convenient.”_ Miranda sighed. She mentally smacked her forehead; she should have known better than to turn her location on. She just wanted Brian to be able to keep track of how close she was. She should have thought through it more.

“I know right. Super convenient!” The older mermaid replied with a wink, “But anyway, I’m not here just to enjoy a picnic with my _dear sister_. I want to hear about EVERYTHING you’ve done these past three months. You’re already nearing the halfway point of your sentence, you know?”

“I’m aware.” The pink-haired monster replied coldly.

Miranda continued on to talk about everything she’s done for the last few months. Everthing from Leonard’s assassination attempt, her (attempted) job interview, shutting down a slave ring through said job interview, finishing a yoga class, and every other major thing she has done the last three months that just hasn’t been talked about.

As she listed things off, however, Brian noticed Miranda underplayed nearly everything and wasn’t sharing the whole story of certain events. She never mentioned how she single-handedly disarmed Leonard, never mentioned how she figured out Norman Pierson’s schemes, and never mentioned how she went on a shopping trip AND set up her furniture all by herself.

Brian wanted to ask the girl why she was being so coy with all of her accomplishments. Wouldn’t she _want_ to brag about all of her achievements? Wasn’t that the entire point of this six-month operation?

Brian was preparing to correct the girl and tell her to stop being humble when Bellanda clapped her hands together in excitement.

“Well, sounds to me like you’ve already done more than enough to come back!”

  
“What!?” Exclaimed Miranda.

“Sure. I mean I know you’ve got three months left, but it sounds like you’re a good enough person to me! So, if you’ll just grad my hand we can head back –”

“NO!” Miranda yelped as she jumped back. Bellanda gave her a curious, skeptical look, which caused Miranda to chuckle awkwardly.

“I… I mean – not yet! I’m not ready yet! T-There’s… one last thing I want to learn how to do. You see, I never uhh…” Miranda looked around to try to come up with an excuse, “I never learned how to pay respects to the dead! Y-Yeah, that’s always something I’ve wanted to learn. I mean, when your kingdom kills as many enemy soldiers and innocent civilians as we do, it’s only necessary that you learn how to speak a good eulogy to respect the dead!”

Bellanda gave Miranda a dubious glare as she stroked her chin, but she eventually shrugged it off.

“Makes sense to me.”

Miranda sighed a breath of relief. She acted fast before Bellanda could change her mind by wrapping her arm around Brian’s and waved goodbye to her sister.

“Well if you’ll excuse us!” Miranda said with a fake-cheery grin, “We’ve got dead people to cry over!”

“You got it sis. Just call out my name when you need me, kay? I’ll be able to bring myself to you when you speak my name.”

“Sounds _great!_ Hee-hee…” Miranda giggled so sweetly it was almost sickening. Miranda kept the cheery façade on her face and only let it drop once Bellanda disappeared behind yet ANOTHER geyser she summoned out of the ground.

Miranda dropped her shoulders and let out a breath when her sister finally left. Brian looked down at her skeptically.

“So… what was all that about?”

“Doesn’t matter – I need to flee the country!” Miranda prepared to make a run for it when Brian held her back by the arm. He stood in front of her, placing a hand on either arm, to keep her from running as he locked her eyes into his.

“Miranda, I need you to chill for a second.” Brian spoke sternly, “Why are you so nervous about telling your sister how much you’ve grown? Isn’t the whole point of all of this so that you can go back home –"

“I’m not ready!” Miranda exclaimed loudly. Brian let go of her arms, giving her a little space to breathe so she could explain.

“I... I’m not ready to face them yet,” She spoke with a low voice, “Sure, I’ve gotten... _kind of_ better at being independent, but not _really._ I don’t think I’m finished with being a better person! So... I can’t go back yet.”

Brian furrowed his brow at Miranda before putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “Miranda... you’re not the only person who is working on being a better person. Everyone _everywhere_ works on being better. No living being just one day decides ‘you know what? I’m done learning, I’m just gonna be a rock for the rest of my life’. Sure, for some species like Zombies it’s a little harder to change, but... your family can’t expect you to be the best person in the world.”

Miranda sighed, “Maybe you’re right... you always know what to say.”

Brian smiled softly, “Now... can I ask you something?”

“Yes...?”

“Do you ever think you’ll genuinely be ready to see them?”

Miranda pursed her lip and thought for a second.

“No.”  
  
“Then there’s no better time than now.” The zombie replied with a reassuring thumbs up, “Besides, if there is one thing, I’ve learned from these past three months, it’s that you’re pretty good at getting yourself out of trouble. Your family won’t be able to throw anything at you that you can’t handle.”

Brian felt something tug at the back of his throat. He wanted to bring up something else to Miranda. Something along the lines of: _Hey by the way. Do you remember when we almost kissed before your sister ripped a hole through the Earth?_

But now didn’t feel like an appropriate time to bring that up.

Miranda nodded her head and put on a determined face. He was right, there was no better time than now. Miranda knew that to be true because as long as she had Brian by her side, she was capable of anything.

Miranda looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and then called out to her sister.

“Bellanda! I’m ready!”

A geyser immediately bursted out of the earth in an open space beside Miranda (the poor grave tender who cares for this cemetery is going to throw a fit when he sees all of the cracks in the ground). The older princess stepped out from the water sprout with a wicked grin on her face.  
  


“Well that was quick! Ready to go then?”

“Ready.” Miranda nodded. She took her sisters hand as the two stepped into the geyser.

Brian waved to Miranda as she stepped inside, “You’ve got this Miranda. Good luck—”

Suddenly, a pink hand reached out from the water sprout, grabbing Brian by the shirt and dragging him into the geyser. Brian had just enough time to catch sight Miranda before he felt a rush of water surround his body. He hated being wet, and now he was literally underwater and about to be dragged through the earth into an aquatic kingdom thousands of miles under the sea.

“I’m gonna need your help for this one!” Miranda said with an apologetic smile. She would have to make up for dragging him into this — sometime later. Brian didn’t have time to respond before the geyser collapsed onto itself and the water rushed them straight under the earth.

-

When Brian reopened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a throne room. Marble pillars decorated either end of the linear dome, and guards with bejeweled armor stationed themselves in front of each column. A large red carpet stretched from the entrance to the far side of the room which held the thrones of the Vanderbilt family.

Miranda had yet to let go of Brian’s hand after grabbing it earlier.

“Welcome home, sis!” Bellanda gave her sister a playful punch to the shoulder before joining her elder sisters and parents.

Miranda stared up at her family, mainly her father, with a mix of fear and pain etched into her face. Her mother rose upon their arrival.

“Oh! My dearest Miranda – how I’ve missed you!”  
  


Amanda stood up beside her mother, “Yes. You look well, my sister.”

Miranda felt a lump form in her throat. She used to think of this room as a place of security. She always used to run in here after a commoner did her wrong. She would grab onto her father’s leg, crying and begging him to punish the mean old merman who dared question her authority.

_That_ Miranda was long gone, however. Now she stands in this room and she feels like a prisoner.

“I-I was surprised to hear you wanted to see me.” Miranda gulped out as she took a short curtsey. “And after only three months too...”

Finally, it was the King’s turn to stand. “Yes... we are calling you back rather prematurely. But for good reason, my daughter.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow at her father. She also noticed that her eldest sister, Laudanda, wasn’t speaking. She just sat quietly on her throne and observed.

“I’ve decided that there is no need to continue your punishment.” The King continued, “We all agree you’ve proven you’re capable of growing and taking on responsibility.”

King Vanderbilt’s face softened, he spoke in a lower tone too,

“Please. My daughter... come home.”

Miranda stood there, frozen.

_Say yes._ She told herself, _they are literally begging you to come back home. You don’t need to live in that crummy apartment anymore._

She prepared to take a step forward but stopped.

_Wait a minute!_ Another voice cried in her head, _If you do this, will you really be happy? Will going back really make you happy?_

These thoughts fought back and forth in her head for quite some time. She was in shock, she never expected things to turn out like this. She thought she still had MONTHS before she had to worry about facing her family. And when she did finally face them, she never would have guessed they would be as inviting as they are now. They were so quick to cast her out before, why do they want her back so badly now.

It all almost seems too...

...

Too _easy._

“Wait a minute.” Miranda spoke, her mind finally putting pieces together. Her family looked down at her with confusion.

“This is all a trap.” The mermaid concluded, “You all _want_ me to come back, because you want to see if I’ll take the _easy_ way out. If I took the bait, then I would fail your challenge! This was never about you all wanting me to come back home! You just wanted to see if I would slip up and come crawling back!”

Miranda stood confidently now; her smug grin showed that her fear of her family was slowly turning into dominance over their ploys. She knew them too well to fall for their act. The Vanderbilt’s never went back on their word, they would never ask her to come back home three months early.

After a few moments of silence as Miranda stared down her family, it was finally Amanda who broke.

“I give up.” Amanda sighed, “I _detest_ lying. Especially to my sister...”

Bellanda gave her green-haired sister a side-eye before letting her act falter as well, “Yeah... I guess I didn’t expect Miri to smarten up on us all of a sudden.”

Miranda puffed her cheeks in annoyance. “Well I am! I have grown a lot since I’ve gotten away from you all! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have SCHOOL to get back to! Brian, let’s go –”

“Wait.” The King demanded. Miranda obeyed. She prepared to speak but her father beat her to it.

“No daughter of mine will get to just run away from home. You’ve proven that you can hold out on your punishment until the end, but don’t go thinking that you can just live a permanent holiday away from your duties as a princess!”

Miranda scowled, “What makes you think I’d do that!?”

“I’d dare say you would rather run off with this – this _zombie –_ then come back to claim your seat on the throne.”

Miranda was speechless for a moment. How dare her family make such drastic accusations, and how dare they drag Brian into all this. (Well... technically _she_ literally dragged Brian into this, but that was beside the point).

“Why would I –"

“Your hand.” It was Laudanda who _finally_ spoke. She held the same cold look in her eyes as she pointed her finger at Miranda, “Your hand is evidence enough of that.”

Miranda looked down, seeing that her hand was still interlocked with Brian’s the entire time.

All the pink haired mermaid could breathe out was a simple: “Oh...”

The King crossed his arms, “I dare say you’ve _only_ become a better person for HIM. Not for yourself or this family –”

“That’s not true –”

“Father.” Laudanda said as she finally stood up, “I’ve been doing some thinking these past few minutes. May I?”

The King, knowing that Laudanda only spoke if it was of upmost importance, nodded his head and gave the floor to his eldest daughter.

“I propose a solution to this entire _predicament.”_ Laudanda spoke as she slowly walked down the steps of the podium their thrones were sitting on.

“Miranda seems to be implying that she has grown as a person BECAUSE she left our protection, while we believe she is only becoming better just to please this _zombie._ So, to settle this, we shall hold a trial. The courtroom is the best place to discover the truth, so we shall hold a case to examine our evidence and come to a conclusion. We cannot afford to allow Miranda to continue the extra three months of her sentence, or she may desert us for good and abandon her responsibilities as princess of our beloved kingdom.”

By now, Laudanda has walked all the way over to standing directly in front of her youngest sister. She looked down at her with a raised chin.

“If the results of the trial prove that you _truly_ are a more responsible person, then your punishment ends, you regain your royal status, AND you are free to live your life as you please.”

Miranda nodded her head; she liked the sound of that.

“But if this trial reveals that your growth stems from _selfish intentions_ and you only became more independent for selfish gain, then your punishment will be renewed. Your banishment will be reset to the six-month time limit, and you must prove you can be a better person WITHOUT any interactions with this _zombie._ You will then spend the rest of your life inside these palace walls serving your country as you have FAILED to do the past nineteen years of your life. _”_

Miranda nearly felt her heart drop to her chest.

If she agreed to this trial, she would risk her freedom – risk never seeing Brian again.

If she didn’t accept this trial, she would just prove to her family that she can’t rise to their challenges. This was the only way she could prove to them that she was a better person because she _wanted_ to be better.

She really had no choice, did she?

“I agree to your terms.” Miranda said as she stared up at her sister with steely determination.

Laudanda’s lips raised into a satisfied grin, as if she already won.

“Very well.” She stated coolly, before whipping her head around to yell orders at her servants, “Guards! Arrange the courtroom at once! The trial shall begin in no less than four hours!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say I was going to take a break from uploading this week?
> 
> Yes... I did.
> 
> Did I end up uploading this chapter AND the chapter after that anyway?
> 
> ...yup.
> 
> I guess I am two days behind my normal Friday updates, but still.
> 
> I guess I just felt bad leaving you guys hanging. It turns out writing this story is more therapeutic for me THAN not writing it.
> 
> So yeah, enjoy the next chapter as a little bonus! Thank you to everyone who leaves support.


	8. The Truth

When Brian heard Laudanda proclaim there would be a “trial” to determine Miranda’s fate, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

He certainly wasn’t expecting the Merkingdom’s staff to clear out the throne room so they could build an entire judge’s bench, witness stand, defendant table, jurors’ box, AND benches to fill the entire room in the span of four hours.

Brian felt a newfound respect and sympathy for the hardworking servants of the Merkingdom.

Apparently building the courtroom wasn’t the ONLY thing that the staff was busy with doing. They also had to fill up the patron aisles full of people who would watch the event. As Brian and the princess sat at the defendant’s table, familiar faces were escorted into the aisles.

Brian recognized Oz, Vicky, and Amira in the front row, giving Brian a thumbs up and giving a look that read: “ _Why are we here? What have you done?”._ Behind the three sat Scott and Polly. Scott came prepared in his best cheerleading gear, wearing a dress that resembled Miranda’s iconic blue dress while also waving a sign in the air that read: “GO MIRANDA”. Polly also held a sign in one hand while she drank a beer using the other hand. Vera sat a couple seats to the left of Polly, looking incredibly bored. She was probably forced to come to this. Vera tried to avoid courtrooms as much as possible when she wasn’t the one doing the accusing. Brian also noticed Damien, Liam, Zoe, and Calculester a few rows back; they all sat close to the exit in the rare chance that they could sneak out.

Judging from the guards that blocked the door with giant axes, the only way they could make an escape is if Damien set them on fire or if Zoe sent them to another dimension.

Brian recognized some other familiar faces, such as Valerie, Blobert, and even The Coven all present. Why were all of these monsters forced into coming to this trial? Brian wasn’t sure. But he had a feeling that the Vanderbilt’s wanted plenty of witnesses in the case that Miranda lost this battle.

Speaking of the tyrannical rulers, they were also present in the room. The King, Queen, Amanda, and Bellanda sat against the far-left wall in the jury box. Laudanda stood over the witnesses stand, aloofly looking through some paperwork.

A blowfish merman wearing a black gown stood at the highest seat in the center of the room. Brian could only assume this was the judge of the Vanderbilt Kingdom.

Brian’s gawking at the impressive and quickly designed courtroom was interrupted by the feeling of a hand tugging at his sleeve.

Miranda was looking up at Brian with worry in her beautiful blue eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Brian asked in a quiet voice. There was light chatter ringing throughout the room, but Brian still spoke in a low voice regardless.

“Worried. You?” Miranda replied.

“This trial is interrupting my daily naptime, so I’m pretty tired. Other than that, I’m okay.”

Miranda sighed, “Oh how I wish I could have your lax attitude...”

Brian glanced over at Laudanda, seeing her nose still in her papers.

“I think we still have a few minutes before we get started. Want to talk about it?”

“Yes please.”

The duo immediately proceeded to duck their heads under the table so they could have some privacy.

Now that the two were fully underneath the defense table, Miranda expressed her concerns, “Brian– This trial seems _pointless._ My family does whatever they please. How am I supposed to believe they’ll keep their word if I prove my worth in this hearing? I dare say this is all just an elaborate performance so they can showcase their authority to the entire world!”

Brian gulped. As much as he hated to say it, she could be right. They were playing _their_ game with _their_ rules. Laudanda didn’t seem like the type to _cheat_ in a litigation, but she _definitely_ didn’t set up a court case just to play around. No – she’s here to win.

Brian peeked his head from under the table to see that Laudanda was now discussing something with the Judge.

“We both know that you _have_ improved these last few months – as long as your honest you should be fine.” Brian said, feigning confidence, “Any hey, no matter how this trial ends, don’t lose hope alright?”

Brian shyly interlocked his fingers with the girls before he continued speaking.

“I’ll promise you this: I’ll find you again. Whether you are in your apartment or locked behind these castle walls – I’ll find you again. It’s what I owe you.”

Miranda furrowed her brow but couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto her lips, “You don’t owe me anything – Brian. I owe you.”

“Well then maybe we owe it to each other.”

Miranda smiled again and placed a quick kiss on Brian’s cheek.

“Thanks – Brian. I look forward to finding you once this trial is done. Ready?”  
  


“Nope.”

“Me either.”

The two smiled sadly at each other before getting back up from under the table; neither of them certain if they would see each other again after this trial. They could only hope.

“This trial is called to order.” The Judge spoke from the top of the room. A hush rolled over the crowd before he continued, “Thank you all for attending this case on such short notice. My name is Judge Pufferfish. We have prepared this case today in order to determine, without a shred of doubt, if Princess Miranda has truly become a better person over the last three months. Three witnesses to the defendant’s _self-growth_ shall be called to the stand and questioned. Afterwards, the royal court, acting as the jury, will decide the ruling of today’s trial. Due to the short-notice of this trial, Princess Laudanda will serve as both a jury member AND the prosecutor today.”

Miranda already had about a million objections, mainly concerning her family being the deciding factor of this case. She knew her complaints would be in vain though, so she stayed silent for now.

The judge went over a few more statements about today’s case before finally calling up the first witness.

“Leonard, please come to the stand.”

Miranda watched in horror as Leonard smugly walked up to the stand. If this jerk was her _first_ witness, then Miranda felt her fate was already sealed. Under the table, Brian squeezed her hand for support. The kappa, dressed in a stained, wrinkled suit, walked up and had to be given a servant to stand on so he could be seen over the witnesses stand. After he finished his oath of speaking the truth and only the truth, Laudanda began to question him.

“Mr. Leonard.” Laudanda spoke, staring up at the prideful kappa, “We have just a couple questions for you today. My first question to you is: how would you describe the defendant in your own words?”

“Easy.” Leonard grinned mischievously, “Miranda Vanderbilt is, and always has been, a weak, spoiled brat who can’t stand up for herself –”

Leonard went on to trash Miranda’s name as she sat there in silence. Insult after insult sent a wave of rage over the girl’s head. She wanted to object, she wanted to stand up and throw a dagger at his throat and tell her family that this entire stupid trial is pointless.

But Bellanda, sitting in the front row of the juror’s box, stared directly into Miranda’s eyes. Her sharp gaze was enough to send shivers through Miranda’s spine even though she was on the other side of the court room. Miranda suddenly felt it wouldn’t be wise to interject to all of Leonard’s accusations, even if they were all exaggerated and false.

“— And THAT, your honor, is why Miranda can best be described as a puny worm. Thank you.”

The judge wrote something down in his notebook. Laudanda, who remained unfazed throughout Leonard’s entire rant on her sister, nodded her head.

“I see. Thank you, Mr. Leonard. Second question,” Laudanda said as she raised a paper to her nose, “A few months ago, an incident occurred involving YOU attempting to _assassinate_ Miranda with a plastic lightsaber. Before you managed to strike her down, however, the defendant disarmed you and intimidated you enough to —” Laudanda read the next part as a direct quote taken from another witness of the scene, “— _‘make you pee your pants and cry every time Miranda was in a ten meter radius of you for the next two weeks.’_ Would you say this an accurate description of the incident?”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Cried out the defensive kappa, “I slipped on a puddle and sprained my ankle – then when I was already beaten on the ground, she mocked me in front of the whole school! She’s a bully – your highness!”

“Hmm. I see.” Nodded Laudanda, “Thank you for your time Leonard. You may be seated.”

The serf who was holding Leonard up immediately released his grip, causing Leonard to fall and hit his bottom on the ground. He was escorted out of the room before he could start crying and demanding that said surf should be executed.

-

The next witness was Beth, the Vampire from the coffee shop.

After the orange-skinned monster was brought to the stand, Laudanda asked her to explain the details of the event that occurred at the café: when Miranda applied for her first job.

“S-Sure.” Beth timidly stated. She brushed a strand of dark auburn hair behind her bat ears before she continued. Miranda had to wonder if her family kidnapped this poor girl here and dragged her to this stand by force – it wouldn’t be unlike them to do so.

“I was shocked when Miranda walked in to apply for a job. It was only a few days prior to that when all of my other coworkers quit and skipped town. We were all forced to work excruciatingly long hours with little pay. I wish I could have joined them and left but... I _desperately_ needed the money. I come from a big family – 13 younger brothers, 8 younger sisters. My parents abandoned us years ago – too many mouths to feed I suppose.”

Beth went on to explain the incident she was involved in. Unlike Leonard, who lied to make himself seem like the victim, Beth was very honest with her retelling of her story. She explained how Miranda went in to be interviewed by Norman Pierson, discovered his schemes, and knocked him out immediately afterwards.

What Miranda didn’t know about the story was what happened afterwards.

Apparently, after Miranda took off with the cash register, Beth came back to the scene with the police. The cops placed Norman under arrest and helped her get out of her contract to him. They were almost about to shut the coffee shop when Beth objected. She ended up taking over and running the place; rebranding it and making the hours and wages much more generous. Now that Beth was the owner of the café, she had a good-sized staff working for her and tons of customers came to buy coffee. Thus, letting her make more than enough money to support herself and all of her brothers and sisters.

“I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say Miranda Vanderbilt saved my life.” Beth concluded, “And because of that – I’m very sorry, Miranda. I should have warned you about what you were getting into when you first arrived on that day. I was just so nervous – I couldn’t risk getting in trouble and losing my job – so... I didn’t warn you.”

Suddenly, all eyes in the court room were on Miranda.

Did Miranda want to forgive this girl? No, not really. If the princess HAD signed Norman’s contract and became employed at that shop, she could very well have signed her life away. Beth had the PERFECT opportunity to warn her, to give her an opening so they could have arrested that man without all the conflict.

But no, she would have rather dragged Miranda down with her than give them both an opening to freedom.

Even worse, she’s reaping the rewards that Miranda won for her. It should be HER running that café, not Beth.

But as Miranda stood up to respond to the vampire, she heard a voice in the back of her head.

She couldn’t blame her; she was just looking out for herself. Beth seemed like a nice enough girl; she was just under a lot of pressure at the time.

And as much as Miranda hated to admit it, she was kind of jealous of her.

She wished she had a family who relied on her for support.

Miranda stole a glance to her side, seeing Brian there, just like he always was.

Oh yeah... maybe she _does_ have a family who relies on her.

“I forgive you – Elizabeth.” Miranda stated. “I understand why you withheld that information from me. Besides, It all turned out okay in the end... right? I’m – I’m actually happy for you.”

Miranda and Beth shared a sad smile at each other.

If the two girls had met under better circumstances, they probably could have been great friends.

-

A short break was announced before the third witness would be called to the stand. Brian and Miranda took that time to chat with Damien, Polly, and Scott, who all snuck their way down to the defense table during the break.

“Okay... so... the first part was – pretty bad.” Began Damien, “But that second witness was good! I’d say you’re at a good 1 vs. 1 right now.”

“Yeah bro! You’ve got this!” Scott said as he gave the mermaid a shoulder rub from the back.

Polly gave Brian shot of whiskey to ease the tension, “So boo... who do you think the last witness will be?”

Brian gulped down the shot before responding, “Hard to say. We just have to hope it’s someone who’s on Miranda’s good side. We can’t afford another Leonard situation.”

“They might try to call up someone you hates you though.” Damien chipped in.

“I hope it’s me! I hope it’s me!” Scott cried out.

“For my sake, I hope it’s you too.” Miranda sighed.

The judge announced the trial was back in session, so the trio went back to the stands. Brian and Miranda gave each other a nervous glance before watching Laudanda as she took center stage.

“Thank you all for your attention with today’s trial.” Laudanda began – emotionless as ever.

“Before we announce the third witness, we would like to reiterate the potential _results_ of this case. If the trial proves that Miranda Vanderbilt IS a more responsible person, then her banishment from the kingdom ends, she regains royal status, AND she is free to live her life as she pleases. BUT, if this trial reveals that her growth stems from _selfish intentions_ and she only became more independent for selfish gain, then her banishment will be reset to the six-month time limit, and she must prove she can be a better person WITHOUT the assistance of Brian Yu _._ Miranda then will then spend the rest of her life inside these palace walls to serve her kingdom as Princess.”

The crowd met this announcement with silence.

“With that in mind.” Laudanda spoke, “We shall call up the third witness now. Brian Yu, please come to the stand.”

-

Miranda stared with wide eyes as Brian was escorted up to the stand.

HER Brian Yu.

What was Laudanda’s game here? Why would she call up Brian, the person she is closest to, as the final witness? Miranda began to wonder if her family was secretly trying to throw this trial because they just loved her so darn much.

...Yeah right.

“Mr Yu.” Began Laudanda, “I first would like to simply ask, do you believe Miranda has changed since you first met her?”

“Yeah.” Brian nodded his head.

“Do you believe she has changed for the better?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you in love with her?”

“Yeah – wait what!?”

The crowd erupted into murmurs. The judge smacked his gavel to bring back attention. Miranda covered her face with her hands to cover her flushed face.

Laudanda looked up at Brian with her usual steely gaze.

“I’ll ask again. Are you _in love_ with the defendant, Miranda Vanderbilt?”

The zombie paused for a moment; he was taken aback. Even then, Brian Yu was never one to buckle his knees under the pressure. He stole a glance at the flustered Miranda and felt a surge of confidence within him.

“Yeah, I DO love her. What does this have to do with the trial, may I ask?”

Brian leaned down to challenge Laudanda with an equally steely gaze. The two glared at each other for a few minutes as the tension in the room rose.

“You do realize she is not only a _princess,_ but she is a _mermaid._ You are a _commoner_... a ZOMBIE commoner at that _.”_

Brian immediately launched his retort, “Correction, _your honor._ According to the Monsters Rights Act of 19xx, you can refer to me only as a MONSTER in the court room, not a zombie. It is my right to prefer being known as a monster in general and NOT my specific kind. So, I don’t quite see any issue with me having feelings for the defendant if that’s what you’re so worried about.”

Brian saw Vicky pump her fists in the air from the audience.

She was a proud mom.

Laudanda stood silent for a moment. Brian could have sworn she almost saw her... smile?

“Very well.” Laudanda spoke, “Now, may I ask one more question, Mr. Yu?”

“Of course.”

“Do you believe Miranda would be a better person if she didn’t have your help?”

Brian stiffened up. He stole a glance at Miranda, seeing her sitting all alone at the defense table. He felt a drop of sweat roll down his temple.

The way he answers this question may determine Miranda’s fate.

...but he couldn’t lie. Not only was he under oath – but...

He couldn’t lie to HER.

Even if he didn’t like his answer, he couldn’t lie to her.

He OWED it to her to be honest.

“No. I... I don’t think she would have become better without my help.”

Brian saw Miranda’s face drop from the corner of his eye.

“Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Yu.” Laudanda said with a nod of her head.

“The trial shall now end. The jury will need some time to reach a decision. Thank you all for your patience and time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was released a week early. I couldn't help myself!
> 
> I actually finished writing this story about around when I posted chapter 5, but I still like to take some time to check them for errors and to flush things out more.
> 
> There are only two more chapters after this... I'm still shocked at how much love this story has gotten. I can't thank you all enough.


	9. You Snore too Loud

Brian felt the entire court room staring at him as he stepped down from the podium and waltzed back to his seat.

_“Do you believe Miranda would be a better person if she didn’t have your help?”_

_“No. I... I don’t think she would have become better without my help.”_

Brian silently cursed himself. He cursed his strong moral compass that led him toward honesty. He really hated telling the truth sometimes.

Miranda was staring blankly ahead when Brian sat back down in his seat.

A few minutes of total silence went by before Brian decided to speak up.

“Hey...” Brian said softly, “You’re not mad at me... are you?”

Miranda glanced over at the zombie before sighing and staring down at her legs.

“Of course, I’m mad.” She spat out. She turned her face away from him, “I’m mad – but not at you. I’m just mad.”

A wave of chatter echoed throughout the room as monsters gossiped all around them. The Vanderbilt’s had left to discuss the trial privately with the Judge.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Miranda turned to look at Brian – tears of frustration pecked her eyes.

“You told the truth – nothing more you could have done.” She sniffled out, “B-Besides, I’m not worried about what happens because of all of this. You promised you would find me again. I can’t be mad at you for anything – I owe that to you.”

Brian froze for a moment. He felt a force well up inside him that mimicked the feeling he had when he almost kissed this girl in the cometary.

Brian cupped her cheek into his palm—

“Attention all,” bellowed Judge Pufferfish, “The jury has reached a verdict.”

The crowd fell silent once again – all eyes were on the Vanderbilt’s as they walked into the front of the room and stood in the center. King Vanderbilt in the middle, with his queen and Bellanda to his left and Laudanda and Amanda at his right. They waited for the crowd to fall completely silent before speaking.

“Thank you all for your patience.” Began the King, “Each member of the court voted _‘yes or no’_ on the question of whether or not our youngest princess, Miranda Vanderbilt, can be considered a better person. She would need at least 3 votes of _‘yes’_ in order to achieve a majority ruling for her success in this trial.”

Miranda gulped nervously. Brian instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist.

This next statement would decide the future of Miranda Vanderbilt.

It wasn’t fair. Not at all. But when you were dealing with royalty as powerful as the Vanderbilt’s, what more could you do than pray?

“The jury has decided Miranda is...” Began the King.

The next minute felt like eternity as everyone in the room waited anxiously for the King to finish his sentence.

Miranda trembled in her seat.

Brian gulped down the lump in his throat.

Vicky crossed her fingers together.

Amira made a silent prayer in her head.

Zoe clutched her tentacles nervously.

Oz felt ready to faint.

Vera glared at Laudanda from across the room.

Calculester ran some tests to see the probability of Miranda’s success.

Damien chanted Miranda’s name under his breath.

Polly prepared to chuck her glass bottle at the King’s head.

Liam checked his phone to see how much time has passed.

Scott clung to his “GO MIRANDA” sign.

Valerie pulled her camera out.

Aaravi brandished her knife in preparation for a brawl to unfold.

Dahlia bit her lip in worry.

“The chances of Miranda’s success in this trial –” Began Calculester, “is a success rate of 90%”

“Miranda IS a better person!” Boomed the voice of the King. “A unanimous 5-0 vote from the jury was reached!”

Miranda felt her heart leap out of her chest. A buzz rang in her ears as a roar of applause rang out from behind her.

She heard voices screaming everything from “YEAH!” to “F*** YEAH!”

She felt Brian’s arms reach down around her to pull her up into an embrace.

The King waited a few moments for the crowd to die down before continuing, “The court had three major deciding factors to determine if Miranda would pass. The first would be if she could hold her temper while listening to Leonard the kappa’s insults. We were aware that he would fabricate his story, but we wanted to see if Miranda could prevent herself from lashing out. Secondly, we wanted to see if she could learn to forgive others – even if they don’t deserve it. We can all agree that she passed that test with Elizabeth.” The King smiled slightly. Despite his shortcomings as a father, it was clear that he was proud of his daughter.

“And last of all... the court wanted to see if she was capable of caring for another as much as she cared for herself. Despite Brian admitting something she obviously would be unhappy to hear, she proved that she cares about this zombie enough to look past her anger.”

The King nodded proudly. It was clear to all that Miranda aced their tests. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief in the room. They were extremely satisfied with how this trial turned out.

Well... _almost_ everyone was satisfied.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” Miranda screamed – stepping away from her table to stomp over to her family in the center of the room, “You mean to tell me this entire trial was just another one of your silly little _tests_!? You – you people are _impossible_!”

The Vanderbilt’s stared at their youngest princess in silence. They assumed she would take this news a little more gratefully.

Finally, Amanda stepped forward.

“Miri, we realized something during this trial –” She took her sisters hands in her own, “We haven’t been fair with you. We expected you to grow without giving you any love or support. You didn’t have it as easy as Laudanda, Bellanda and I. We were all forced into positions of powers at a young age – so we grew into our roles.”  
  


Bellanda took a step forward to pitch in, “Laudanda was always the scholar, Amanda the prophet, and I was the tyrant. We just expected you to take the leftover crumbs and be happy with that. We... we never _gave_ you the opportunity to succeed, so you never succeeded at all —"

“Until you met _him_ —” Laudanda continued, pointing her shoulder at Brian back at the table. “It is because of him that you became a better person. He pushed you to be better. He brought you up when you fell and celebrating your victories with you: big and small. We – we failed you in that regard.”

By now, Miranda’s sisters stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her.

Miranda wasted no time flinging her arms around them for a group hug.

Amanda received the embrace warmly, Bellanda made an eyeroll but returned the hug anyway, and Laudanda stood there stiffly; unsure of what to do with this physical affection.

“Besides –” Coughed Laudanda, “I can appreciate a man who knows a thing or two about his rights. He’s the first monster to ever stand on equal ground with me in the courtroom. He’s a special guy Miri –”

“Shut up.” Amanda hissed out, “Quit talking about stupid boys, Laurie. Let’s just enjoy this sister moment.”

“Hmm... very well. But Miranda – I must ask. Even though you regained full freedom, are you still going to come home every once in a while? You _are_ a princess of this kingdom after all.”

“Hmm... I suppose so.” Miranda shrugged and added a playful wink at the end.

After a few extra seconds of sister love, Miranda released her hold on them and looked over at Bellanda.

“By the way...” The pink haired mermaid began, “Earlier, when Leonard was slandering me, you were giving me a strange look. You weren’t.... _warning_ me, were you Belle?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Replied the flustered Bellanda, “A-All of this sibling love is making me sick! UGH! Go celebrate with your friends Miri!”

Bellanda immediately rushed off before she started showing signs of _“weakness”_. Amanda and Laudanda smiled at each other before stepping back to talk with their parents. Miranda didn’t _particularly_ feel like talking to her father, so she turned around and walked away; a bright smile marked her face.

Sure enough, everyone from school was surrounding Brian, clapping his back and giving him high fives. They cheered for Miranda when she walked over to them.

“There’s my girl!” Roared Damien, “Welcome back to the Royalty Club!”

“Hey Miri!” Grinned Zoe, “I was the one who made that comment about Leonard peeing his pants and crying whenever he saw you! Wasn’t that a good one!?”

“The whole idea of Miranda’s worth as a person being judge in court was very problematic –” Vicky chirped in, “But... I’m glad she won, regardless.”

“Yes. I would have had to call in some favors if things went south here.” Vera nodded.

Miranda laughed and thanked all of her friends as they surrounded her. She was really lucky to have them. They were weird, sure, and they were pretty dangerous to be around, but they were her friends. She wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Miranda looked over her shoulder to see Brian looking at her. He gave her a smile as he edged his way through the crowd to stand in front of her.

“Hey.” He said upon finally standing in front of her.

“Hi.” Miranda replied back.

The two stared at each other silently for a moment.

“So... uhh...” Brian rubbed the back of his head, “Congrats on keeping your freedom.”

“Thank you!”

The two locked eyes for another moment. Suddenly, the noise of their friends as they chattered amongst themselves went away. It was just them.

It was Miranda who made the first move.

She closed the gap between them, standing up on her tip toes and leaning her body against his as she pressed her mouth to his. Brian instantly reciprocated the kiss as he put his hands on her lips to give her balance.

“OH SHIT!” Amira yelled, “THEY’RE SMOOCHING!”

“G-Give them space Amira!” Oz squeaked out.  
  


“Oooh, I _told_ you they would kiss, Joy!” Valerie snickered, “Looks like you owe me five bucks.”

Joy sighed as she reached into her pocket and gave the girl her money.

Miranda and Brian released their kiss when Miranda started to erupt into a fit of giggles.

“Y-You guys!” Miranda yelled between her laughter, “How am I supposed to do this with all of you make side comments at us?”

“Get used to it, boo!” Polly teased as she threw her arms over the two, “We love you both to much to not make fun of you for being sappy.”

The large group of monsters continued to stand there and celebrate Miranda’s victory. This went on for several more minutes before they eventually got kicked out. The servants of the Merkingdom had to demolish the room and set the thrones back up. After some goodbyes of “see you tomorrow at school!” everyone left to head home for the night.

Everyone _except_ for the pink mermaid and the green zombie.

The two sat on top of the defense table (their chairs were taken away) and watched as the Vanderbilt’s yelled out orders to their serfs and discussed other matters.

“Well that was fun.” Brian finally coughed up.

“Yeah... and to think all of this happened on your Death Day.”

Brian blinked. He completely forgot he was mourning his death just a few hours ago. It goes to show how quickly things can change.

“So,” Brian cleared his throat, “What do you want to do now?”

Miranda sighed, “Take a nap. I’m exhausted.”

“You’re speaking my language.”

Miranda smirked to herself for a moment. “You know...” She hopped off the table and spun around flirtatiously, “It’s getting late. I don’t want you out late at night. We can –”

“Yes. God yes.” Brian finished her thought excitedly. He also hopped off the table and smirked at her, “But wait... you have two homes now. Are you talking about here or –”

“My apartment obviously!” Miranda squeaked. She took the zombie’s hand and dragged him out of the throne room.

-

The two immediately left the Vanderbilt kingdom and returned to the surface. Now that Miranda was princess again, it was very easy to have some serfs pick her up in an underwater limo to drive her up to the surface.

As night crept into the sky, the two hurriedly escaped into Miranda’s apartment.

No, they didn’t have sex that night. They were still young, and their relationship was still in its infancy. They had time before they had to worry about getting it on like rabbits.

They did like to take naps together, however.

Moonlight peeked through the windows of the room as Miranda curled up underneath her blankets. Brian was already sound asleep beside her. He was a fast sleeper.

Miranda quietly looked at his face as he slept.

After three months of being so close with this zombie, she never looked at him as closely as she did now.

She never noticed the tiny scar on the bridge of his nose. Never noticed how thick and bulky his black hair was. Never noticed how he had a faint layer of facial hair on his chin.

_Does a zombie’s hair still grow? Or does it stay like that forever?_ She wondered to herself.

There was still a lot she didn’t know about Brian. There was a lot she didn’t know about herself either.

But that was the fun part, she thought to herself, not knowing everything about each other.

Life could continue to go on just like it did before. Brian would push Miranda to be better than the person she was yesterday, and she would do the same for him. Miranda would keep this apartment, but still have her room in the kingdom she could return to at any time. Sooner than later she would likely have her duties as a princess to attend to, but for now, she could continue to just be another student at Spooky High. She could just be a girl, a girl who had a boyfriend.

Whether or not said boyfriend would eventually become a prince would be determined later, but Miranda was pretty optimistic about that.

The princess closed her eyes and smiled as the zombie snored beside her.

_Zzzz..._

She tried to fall asleep.

Zzzz...

...

Zzzz...

“YOU SNORE TOO LOUD!” Miranda yelled as she slammed her pillow over the zombie’s head to smother him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real-life trials definitely don't work like this — but hey — the games never worried about being realistic so I’m good.
> 
> Next chapter is the last one! The main plot is already over, so chapter ten is just going to be a nice conclusion chapter.


	10. The Jewel on the Crown

Despite all of the crazy things that happen in life, school will always remain. Now that Miranda no longer had the weight of her punishment dragging her down, she was able to put all of her attention back into classes. She didn’t even need serfs to take them for her anymore. She only kept a couple servants around to carry her books and scare away creeps who try to flirt with her in the hallway.

The mermaid sat in her culinary class, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Her perfectly made pork chops sat on the table beside her – a pleasing aroma raised off the meat.

Polly looked over the girl’s shoulder, “Whatcha doing boo?”

“Trying to figure out what to get for Brian.” She mumbled as she bit the tip of her pencil. Her long pink hair was tied into a low ponytail with a red ribbon. She wore her signature blue dress but had an apron on over that. And of course, her golden crown sat perfectly on top of her head where it belonged.

“Next Friday will mark EXACTLY six months from when my exile was _supposed_ to end.” She continued, “Brian and I made a promised each other that if he helps me become a better person, I will give him a reward. Now – obviously he held up his end of the deal, but I still need to hold up my end.”

Polly nodded her head as she read through some ideas the girl wrote down. She had a lot of great ideas – from performing a surprise flash mob to buying him a small island off the coast of South America.

“I’ve got a good idea.” Polly said with a suggestive grin, “Get him handcuffs.”

“Why would he need that?” Miranda asked with an arched eyebrow.

Polly blanked for a moment. She forgot Miranda was innocent and NOT a kinky freak like everyone else at this school. She waved it off dismissively.

“Why do you need to give him anything anyway? I’d say having you as a girlfriend is reward enough, boo.”

“It’s what I owe him.” She replied, “Even if he doesn’t want to admit it – he deserves at least SOMETHING for everything he’s done for me these past six months.

Miranda paused a moment – she suddenly got an idea.

“Wait a minute... I KNOW WHAT I CAN DO!”

“Do what?”

Miranda cupped a hand around Polly’s ear and whispered her idea. It’s not like anyone else in the class was paying attention to them, but Miranda was still careful not to reveal her idea to EVERYONE.

“Ooooh – I like the way you think boo!” Polly nodded with approval.

-

Flash forward to the day in question – the six-month anniversary of Miranda’s exile date. Miranda felt like she had water ants in her pants as she sat through her classes. She couldn’t wait for school to be over already – she was desperate to see Brian.

Everyone noticed the mermaid’s strange behavior. Liam in particular was incredibly skeptical of the girl’s queer attitude that day. She was giddy and she spaced out a lot in class. If it wasn’t for her Attention Serf snapping her back into focus, she would have blanked out throughout the entire school day. When she was eating lunch with Brian, she struggled to keep a straight face and prevent herself from spoiling her surprise for the zombie. During gym, she had to use Scott as a meat shield during dodgeball, so she didn’t get hit and run her make up.

It was when the final bell rang that the girl leapt out of her seat and raced to the library. Brian had a computer class in there, so she hurried through the school to meet him there. Six months ago, she would have just had a servant go fetch him for her, but she couldn’t wait that long today. She was giddy with anticipation.

She saw him walking out of the library – headphones over his ears.

“Brian!” She called out as she skidded to a halt beside him. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she looked up at him.

“Woah, what are you so energetic for?” He chuckled.

“Guess what? I have a surprise for you!”

“Really? What is it?”

“Not here silly! We need to GO to it.”

“Oh? So, what’s the special occasion?” He asked as he removed his headphones.

Miranda rolled her eyes playfully, “Six months ago I was exiled from my kingdom – don’t you remember? Today is the day I WOULD have gotten my freedom back if we didn’t end up having that trial.”

“Oh yeah! Heh, totally slipped my mind.”

“But anyway,” Miranda waved her hand, “I hope you don’t have plans today because I have a surprise that I need to show you.”

Brian smirked, “Well – I was planning on spending time with my girlfriend anyway so... lead the way.”

Miranda didn’t hesitate to grab the zombie’s larger hand and escort him to the front of the school. On the way, Brian casually asked what she had planned, but the girl was quick to dismiss his question. She didn’t want to spoil it.

“Just be patient!” Miranda said with a wink as they walked out through the main doors.

Brian was surprised to see a limo parked in front of the school.

He was used to riding in these ever since Miranda got her royal status back – but man, he would never get tired of looking at them. This one in particular was a sleek 30-foot-long vehicle with a pure white color and a gold trim along the edges. The tires were bejeweled with striking blue lapis, and its engine purred loudly. It was definitely the most flashy and expensive thing Brian had ever seen.

But when your girlfriend was a princess of the Merkingdom, everything was flashy.

“So, I see we’re leaving in style.” Brian chuckled. Every student stared at the pair as they walked up to the car. A merman wearing a nice black suit and sunglasses opened the door for them as they stepped inside.

On the inside of the limo were royal blue seats with padded cushions. The carpet was decorated with white and gold and colorful lights flashed on the ceiling. Miniature fountains decorated every corner of the vehicle.

Brian sat down as the pink haired mermaid quickly took the space beside him. She wasted no time fitting her small frame under his arm as she leaned into his side and rested her head on his chest. She felt him shift as he lowered his head down to place a kiss on the top of her head.

“You’re hair smells like the ocean.” He commented.

Miranda giggled, “I’d hope so. I live in it after all.”

Technically, she actually lived in her apartment downtown, but she visited the Merkingdom more frequently as of late.

He smirked, “There are definitely some gross things in the ocean though. I hear that ocean waters are some of the most polluted areas of our planet.

“True – but it won’t be that way forever. I’m already making plans to fix that issue.”

“Wait, really!? So, you’re like... certified to be making decrees now?”

“Yes!” She grinned as she sat up to look at him, “Daddy gave me the okay to start managing issues for our kingdom. I’m working on a plan to clean up the oceans and shoot all of the garbage up into the sky for the air people to deal with.”

“Cool... but... you know the trash will just fall back down on us, right?”

“That’s the part I’m still trying to work on.”

“Ah.”

A serf came by to hand the couple some sparkling water.

“Just a few more minutes before we reach the destination your highness.” He mumbled out before returning to the back of the cabin.

“Ooh... the _destination.”_ Brian cooed. “I feel so top secret right now.”

“Good.” She grinned and patted his stomach, “Because THIS is your reward for helping me out these past few months. I’d say you deserve it.”

The zombie chuckled softly, “That’s sweet – really. But I told you I don’t need any reward. Being with you is reward enough.”

“Cute – but you deserve this anyway.”

Brian hummed in response – he knew better than to try and prove Miranda wrong. She was as stubborn as a whale shark.

The car skidded to a halt before they even realized it.

“Well that was fast.” Brian stated as the two sat up.

“It’s only a short drive away from school!” The mermaid replied as a serf opened the door for them, “We honestly could have just walked, but I must say, riding in a fancy limo sure is fun!”

Miranda hopped out of the car and Brian followed behind.

He stepped out of the fabulous limo to see himself standing in front of a rotten, old cemetery.

HIS rotten, old cemetery.

“Oh, I see,” Brian smirked, “We’re recreating our picnic with Bellanda. What a nice reward –”

“Wrong.” Miranda replied with a smug smirk on her face, “C’mon! See for yourself.”

Brian extended his arm for the girl to grab onto as they headed into the cemetery. The last time they were here, it was a rather chilly winter day, but this time, Spring was finally rolling around, so the sun shone in the sky while a gentle breeze still kept them occupied. Brian noticed a wide variety of fresh flowers laid on top of graves all around the field.

They prepared to walk over the hill that Brian’s grave was located behind.

“Is there going to be a flash mob behind this hill?” Asked Brian.

“I actually DID think of that... but no.”

When the two walked around the hill, Brian came face to face with his tombstone.

Except... it wasn’t his tombstone.

What used to be a stone rectangle with Brian’s name carved into it was now something completely different. Brian looked down at a freshly carved emerald slate that sparkled as the sun struck it. It was at least DOUBLE the size of his old stone.

He kneeled down to read the engraving.

_BRIAN YU._

_BORN 19XX – DIED 19XX._

_CAME BACK 20XX._

It was the same as last time. But... there was something else underneath it. Something engraved in a cursive script.

_“We owe it to the Universe for giving him to us.”_

“Surprise” Miranda sang out sweetly, “I –I know you’re not dead anymore, but... I figured you still deserve a tombstone that better reflects YOU for the monster you are.”

A smile crept onto Brian’s lips. He ran his fingers over the letters – it felt smooth.

“Not bad Ms. Vanderbilt. Not bad at all.”

It was quite literally the nicest reward he has ever gotten. Brian was never one to like flashy, huge presents. But this... this was nice. This made it feel like over twenty years of living as a human actually MEANT something. He didn’t go through all of this heartache for nothing.

Maybe Miranda DID owe it to the Universe for bringing him to her.

But he owed it to Miranda for making the Universe something worth caring for.

Miranda reached down behind the zombie, placing her chin on the top of his head and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

The two stayed like that for a long time.

-

_The Merkingdom King and Queen have no less than 5 daughters. The 5 jewels of the Vanderbilt Crown._

_The first daughter is Laudanda Vanderbilt, heiress to the throne. The Master Diplomat of the Merkingdom court. She commands with wisdom._

_The second daughter is Amanda Vanderbilt, of the modest beauty. The High Priestess of the Merkingdom’s main religion. She commands with love._

_The third daughter is Bellanda Vanderbilt, of the merciless fist. The Chief Commander of the Merkingdom’s armies. She commands with fear._

_And lastly, Miranda Vanderbilt, of the ever-changing soul. Her legacy shall go down in history for the Merkingdom as a princess, role-model, and friend to all._

_The Crown of the Vanderbilt family is sculpted to perfection, each gem shines with flawless beauty, reminding the kingdom of the unyielding of the unyielding authority it possesses._

_The crown is a symbol of peace in the kingdom. Only when all 4 gems are engraved into it shall its light shine bright enough to guide its kingdom into prosperity._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I love hearing everyone's feedback. 
> 
> I think what helps this story succeed is that so many of the characters in this story have already been shown interacting in the main game, so it's easy to translate here. The hardest part was probably the settings. Aside from the school, all the locations (the apartment, the coffee shop, the cemetery, the Merkingdom) were all foreign territory. I had to describe all of these settings and I am not the best with descriptive writing. I hope everyone was able to picture these settings well enough in their heads.
> 
> There was also a decent amount of characters (canon or not) that appeared in this story. Obviously Elizabeth the Orange Vampire comes to mind. I never intended her to be as prominent as she was. In fact, she was almost going to be MORE important than what she ended up being. I wrote a few scenes where her and Miranda hang out - but I ended up deleting them. I didn't want a prominent feature of this story to be a random OC character that I made up.
> 
> There is also the King and Queen. You probably noticed that I didn't use any descriptive words for their appearance because honestly... it does't matter what they look. It isn't THEM as people that matters so much as it is what they REPRESENT to Miranda - pressure and control. 
> 
> To be honest, I just pictured the King as a Fish-Hitler and pictured the Queen as Mera from the Aquaman movie. I hope you were able to come up with something just as funny for the identities of Miranda's parents.
> 
> This story is finally complete! It's a little sad... but I'm happy more than anything. I've been meaning to post this story for so long and I finally did it! 
> 
> What's next for me? Probably a nap... and I need to exercise a little bit more. I really want to continue my Oz X Scott story - they are my favorite Monster Prom story. I'm not sure if anyone who reads this story is even interested in that one since Oz X Scott is EVEN LESS popular than Brian X Miranda - but keep an eye out for that! I'm taking a break from writing for a while but I plan on returning to write even more stories.
> 
> Thank you again.


End file.
